Sheriff Hatcher Recall Petition Qualifies for Ballot It's been a long time in the making, a tedious process. But supporters of a recall effort for Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher say the Benton County Auditor has finished Thursday verifying the necessary number of signatures on the recall petition. In order for a recall to qualify for a special 'election' the petitioners had to gather enough signees to equal or exceed 25% of the votes the official received in their last election. In this case, Hatcher's opponents had to get 13,937; the Auditor certified 14,325. Get our free mobile app The effort to recall him began last summer, in August Sgt. Jason Erickson said Hatcher intimidated witnesses and other public servants during investigations; tampered with and destroyed evidence, and threatened retaliation against opponents and said witnesses.