AUBURN – At 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Guy Desjardins was leading in votes for Androscoggin County sheriff by a margin of roughly 10 to one.

With votes still being counted, Desjardins was all but assured a victory over his longtime friend, incumbent Sheriff Ronald Gagnon. By 11:30 p.m., Desjardins had received 21,641 votes. Just 2,099 had voted for Gagnon.

“I can’t wait to get started,” Desjardins said. “And I wish Ron the best of luck in his endeavors.”

But the victory celebration at the VFW hall on Minot Avenue was tempered by events of recent days.

“I want to be happy,” Desjardins said before pausing to collect his thoughts. “I want to be happy, but what happened with Dave Rancourt, it was just such a tragedy.”

Rancourt, a sheriff’s deputy, died Saturday while diving with a team in the Androscoggin River while searching for evidence. While Desjardins was waiting to learn whether he would be elected as sheriff, funeral plans for the deputy were under way in Lewiston.

Gagnon, sheriff since 1985, could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. He had not called Desjardins to concede.

For all practical purposes, the face-off between the friends began in January when Desjardins was fired from his job as Gagnon’s chief deputy. A disagreement over matters of leadership was said to be the source of the friction. The day it happened, Desjardins announced he would run for sheriff.

The first election between the two men – the Democratic primary – ended with a recount in June. When it was over, Desjardins finished 43 votes ahead. Immediately after the recount, Gagnon conceded. However, Gagnon later reconsidered and decided to run for his old job as a write-in.

The labor union at the Androscoggin County jail and Sheriff’s Department voted in October to endorse challenger Desjardins for sheriff. They gave him 60 percent of their total vote. Gagnon earned a third-place vote among the county workers, behind Desjardins and those who favored making no endorsement at all.

Learning of Desjardins apparent victory Tuesday night, union officials said they were happy with the results of the election.

“The union is looking forward to working with the new administration,” said union President David Trafford.

Desjardins, who lives in Sabattus, served as the county’s chief deputy from 1995 until the start of 2006. Gagnon, who lives in Lisbon Falls, has served as sheriff since 1985, when he was appointed by Gov. Joseph Brennan.

Last month, Desjardins named Sgt. Eric Samson, a 15-year veteran of the department, to the second-in-command role.

“It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made so far,” Desjardins said Tuesday night.

He will take over as sheriff in January. In coming weeks, Desjardins said he will soon turn his attention to budgetary matters. In the meantime, he was helping to guide the police force through the emotional difficulty that came with the death of Rancourt.

“This is a great bunch of guys and they lost one of their own,” Desjardins said. “Right now, my main concern is the welfare of the department.”