Harold Ray Presley

Harold Ray Presley (October 5, 1948 in Tupelo, Mississippi – July 6, 2001) was the sheriff of Lee County, Mississippi, from 1993 to 2001.

Harold Ray Presley was one of six children born to Noah Edward Presley (1890-1969) and his 2nd wife named Christine. He attended local schools, but dropped out of school in the tenth grade. In 1968 he was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam in the Twenty-ninth General Support Group. After serving four years, he received an honorable discharge and returned to Tupelo.

Harold Presley was married, and had two sons and a daughter. Elvis Presley was his first cousin once removed.

In 1993 he was elected sheriff of Lee County. During his tenure as sheriff, Presley received numerous awards including the Buford Pusser Award and the "Best of the Best Officers" for five years.

Perceiving a need for battling both the demand and supply of illegal drugs, Mr. Presley initiated the DARE Program in local schools to educate young people, several twelve-step programs in the jail to help recovering addicts, and a tough approach to law enforcement regarding illegal drug sales and use. After earning his own GED, he provided GED classes for training and testing inmates; he also started a work-center program for the inmates in his jail.

Presley was as famous for stopping the drug trade and drug traffic in Lee County, Mississippi, as Buford Pusser was for chasing down the State Line Mob and bootleggers in McNairy County, Tennessee, in the 1960s.

Presley died in the early morning hours of July 6, 2001, in a shootout with a kidnapping suspect. Harold Ray Presley was the uncle of New York Mets 1993 First Round Draft Pick, Kirk Presley.