The Washington County Board on Tuesday named Dan Starry as sheriff. Starry has served as chief deputy under Bill Hutton, who announced last week that he is resigning to head the Minnesota Sheriffs' Association.
That creates a vacancy that Starry will fill until the next election, in January 2019.
Commissioners congratulated Hutton and praised Starry, calling him "very qualified" and "part and parcel" of a department they said was making strides in such pressing public-safety issues as opioid addiction, sex trafficking and the rising number of mentally ill inmates in the county jail.
Starry "has big shoes to fill" in replacing Hutton, said Commissioner Gary Kriesel, "but Dan's got size 14 feet, so it's not a problem."
Starry, 46, has been at the Washington County Sheriff's Office since 1993, working a variety of jobs before being named chief deputy in 2010.
The vote for Starry was unanimous, and he will be sworn in May 2.
STAFF REPORT
