Webster County Sheriff’s Deputy Trevir Michehl hopes to win the top position in the local sheriff’s office.

Michehl has declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for sheriff.

”I would desire to move the Webster County Sheriff’s Office in a positive direction while working on the structure of the Sheriff’s Office to ensure safer, more enjoyable communities for you, your children and the future generations that will call this county home,” he said.

Michehl said he wants to be sheriff ”to continue the leadership that the Webster County Sheriff’s Office has, to bring in new ideas as a successful leader for training, to provide public safety by maintaining order to protect people and their property.”

He faces Sgt. Tony Walter for the Democratic nomination in the June primary election. Sgt. Luke Fleener is so far unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Whoever wins the November general election will replace Sheriff Jim Stubbs, a Democrat who will retire when his term ends on Jan. 4, 2021.

Michehl said improving training for both deputies and jailers would be one of his major goals if elected.

He said building a new law enforcement center with a new jail would be one of his long term goals.

The candidate said he would like the Sheriff’s Office to take over the 911 dispatching center and make the dispatchers county employees ”to keep them local.” Now, the dispatchers are local residents who are employees of New Jersey-based IXP.

Michehl began his law enforcement career in 2003 as a Webster County jailer, a post he held until 2005. Also in 2003, he became a reserve deputy.

In 2005, he became a part-time police officer in Gowrie.

Two years later he joined the Webster City Police Department as a full-time officer. In addition to his regular duties, he served as the evidence officer there. He also served as the acting sergeant on the overnight shift.

In 2011, he joined the Okoboji Police Department. There he served as the evidence officer and was also the fleet manager who oversaw the equipping and maintenance of the patrol vehicles.

In Okoboji, he was part of the High Risk Entry and Arrest Team and the Northwest Iowa Drug Task Force.

From 2016 to 2017, he taught vehicle operations and precision driving for the criminal justice program at Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville.

He became a Webster County sheriff’s deputy in December 2017.

Michehl is a graduate of the Iowa Law Enforcement Training Academy. He has additional training as a motor officer, sniper, precision driving instructor, radar instructor, defensive tactics instructor and active shooter instructor. He has completed the Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving courses and classes through the Law Enforcement Intelligence Network.

He was born in Spirit Lake and grew up in Florida and Fort Dodge before graduating from Okoboji High School in 1997. He moved back to Fort Dodge in 2001.

When not on duty, he volunteers with the Watchdog program at Cooper Elementary School.

He and his wife have three children.