To the editor:

I, Rod Strait, former Chief Deputy of the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, wish to offer my full support to Trevir Michehl for Webster County Sheriff.

I had seen that former Sheriff Brian Mickelson withdrew his support of Sheriff Fleener. I have known Brian Mickelson since 1988 when we started our careers in law enforcement. He does not take such a step as this without a lot of consideration, and now he is supporting Trevir Michehl for Webster County Sheriff.

Former Sheriff Jim Stubbs and I hired Trevir Michehl as a Webster County deputy. Trevir came to the Sheriff’s Office with a tremendous amount of experience and job skills. He started his career at the WCSO working in the jail and in our law enforcement reserves program. Trevir then went to work for the Webster City Police Department, saying that one day he would return to the Sheriff’s Office. He continued his law enforcement career with the Okoboji Police Department, continuing to add job skills by working as an A.L.E.R.T. instructor and joining the Iowa-Minnesota H.E.A.T. team (emergency response team). Trevir attended many schools and training to develop an impressive resume’. He went through interviews with the Webster County Sheriff Deputies and passed with their approval. It became apparently clear to hire him as a Deputy. It is easy to say that Trevir did not disappoint. He reminded us he was fulfilling his promise to return to the Webster County Sheriff’s Office so he could serve his community.

Trevir Michehl has a tremendous amount of support in his campaign for Webster County Sheriff. I see his signs everywhere. Signs and letters are great, but what’s most important is to get your vote counted and your voice heard. The primary election is on June 4th. If you are unable to vote at your local precinct, you can cast your absentee ballot now by stopping at the Webster County Auditors Office. Our lives can be busy, but it’s important to cast your vote and have your voice heard.

I know former Sheriffs Brian Mickelson and Jim Stubbs worked hard to develop a great working environment with the Police Department and the City of Fort Dodge. I personally watched Jim Stubbs go above and beyond while I was Chief Deputy. He is still serving on boards in our community to this day, showing his unending dedication. We took calls 24/7 to accomplish our goals for the department. Now to hear that is no longer the case with the current sheriff has Brian Mickelson taking action. A Sheriff’s job is 24/7 for our community; don’t ask for it, demand it.

A female deputy with an impressive resume and tremendous work ethic was pressured away from a career with the Webster County Sheriff’s Office. She applied for and was immediately hired by the Fort Dodge Police Department. However, the fall-out was not easy. Please keep in mind that these two departments share a work environment and would prove to be difficult for just about anyone. The jail administrator, another female, was fired without having any prior discipline. Due to her leadership and dedication, she had saved the county enough money each year to nearly cover her salary. The county went on to lose the assistant administrator, another female, soon after the administrator was fired. In addition, most if not all of the female jail staff was lost, and therefore, the jail could no longer house female inmates. This resulted in female inmates having to be housed in other county jails, at an increased cost to Webster County. This placed strain on the county’s law enforcement partners. This also had a severe impact on the Fort Dodge Police Department, as they were often unable to place arrested individuals directly into our local jail.

I support Trevir Michehl for Webster County Sheriff. I’m confident he will restore the Webster County Sheriff’s Department to the level that former Sheriffs worked so hard to achieve. Please join me in voting for Trevir Michehl.

Rod Strait

Fort Dodge