PARIS — As of 11:45 p.m., Republican Jarrod Crockett was leading Democrat Jennifer Kreckel for Oxford County judge of probate by nearly 2,000 votes.

The count was 9,325 to 7,504.

Voting results for several towns had been reported by late Tuesday night.

The winner will replace Dana Hanley, who is retiring at the end of the year.

Born and raised in Oxford County, Crockett grew up in a logging family in Bethel. He enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17, attended college on an ROTC scholarship and became an Army officer for six years on active duty.

After law school, he returned to practice law and is a partner in the firm of Siegel & Crockett.

He served for six years in the Maine Legislature, four years on the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, and has continued his military service as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Kreckel has lived and practiced law for 23 years in Oxford County, with experience in the areas of adoption, guardianship, conservatorship, and estates.  She is also experienced with probate law.

Kreckel graduated from Syracuse University College of Law in 1984, and has worked as a lawyer in the Rumford area since 1993.

She serves as town solicitor for Rumford and Dixfield.

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