Schuylkill County coroner Dr. David J. Moylan kept his office in Tuesday's general election by a wide margin, according to unofficial tallies.

Moylan, a Republican, had 17,614 votes. His Democratic challenger, James Nettles, had 10,707.

"I'm viewing this as a vote of confidence. It's a mandate to continue the policies I've established in the first four years," Moylan said.

"I want to focus on not just reporting statistics, but on coming up with innovative ways to cut down on suicides, elder abuse and drug deaths," he said.

"My opponent, who was actually one of my deputies, did point out (during his campaign) some potential problems in the office. I will investigate the validity of those and take steps to correct them if needed."

Moylan ran an unsuccessful campaign last year to oust Democratic Congressman Matt Cartwright.

Efforts to reach Nettles, a former deputy coroner and state trooper, were unsuccessful.