I’ve been with the Sheriff’s Department 9.5 years. I’m going on my 13th year in law enforcement.

What other law enforcement positions/departments have you served in?

Before working for the Webster County Sheriff’s Department, I was a police officer for Iowa State University.

What’s an interesting fact about you that some might not know?

My wife and I had her grandparents’ home moved to a new property. After moving the house we remodeled it and added an addition.

What’s the most memorable incident you’ve responded to?

A couple of years ago I was on U.S. Highway 20 around 3 a.m. when I observed a vehicle coming toward my patrol car. The van was traveling the wrong way in the westbound lanes of Highway 20. I initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and subsequently arrested the female driver. She was highly intoxicated and did not realize she was traveling the wrong direction on the highway. She also forgot to secure her 4-month-old daughter into her car seat. The infant was found in the rear of the van and had fallen out of her car seat. The van showed signs of being in a ditch or median recently. I took custody of the infant that night and was able to make sure her and her mother were safe. The baby will never know me, but I will never forget her.

What’s the best part of your day?

The best part of my day is returning home safely to my wife and children. Sometimes our job requires us to do some shocking and dangerous things. It’s a great feeling returning home safely to your loved ones knowing you served to the best of your ability.

What gives you the most satisfaction in your job?

One of the things that gives me the most satisfaction in my job is bringing the suspects of violent crimes and property crimes to justice. There are evil people in our society that prey on good citizens and their property. These crimes often take a lot of work to solve and there is no better feeling than telling a victim the offender has been arrested and will face prosecution.

What’s the toughest part about your job?

The toughest part about being a police officer is dealing with the stress and trauma from the job. Just because your shift is over doesn’t mean the stress is gone. Police officers experience a lot of situations that are stressful and traumatic. Then we go home and act as if a lot of it didn’t happen because we don’t want the stress to be transferred to our family members.