A new interim sheriff is set to be sworn in on the courthouse steps of Jackson County on Friday after a recall vote removed Jarrod Poley. The swearing-in is expected to bring an end to the concerns and controversy that surrounded the sheriff鈥檚 office over the past week.
Get top headlines and 皇冠网址 reporting directly to your mailbox each week when you subscribe to In The NoCo.
Voters in Jackson County, a rural county east of Steamboat Springs with a population of less than 1,500 people, voted to remove Poley in a special election on Tuesday. More than a third of the county showed up to vote, with 392 voting to recall.
Months before the election, a that accused the sheriff of being absent from duties and missing school district meetings, among other allegations.
In part, it read, 鈥淪heriff Poley has demonstrated a pattern of disregard for North Park School District student and staff safety. His consistent absence from school safety meetings since May 2023, including the April 7, 2023, tabletop exercise, and refusal to cooperate with the School District jeopardizes our children.鈥�
According to Jackson County Clerk and Recorder Hayle Johnson, the vote to remove Poley is set to be finalized on Thursday, June 26. The eight-day waiting period is standard in elections, allowing time for mail-in ballots to arrive. However, before that date, Johnson said the community was 鈥渟urprised鈥� to find that Poley had effectively shut down the sheriff鈥檚 office. A note left on the door Wednesday stated the office would be closed until June 26, adding, 鈥淚f you have an emergency, we can still be reached.鈥�
A call from 皇冠网址 to the sheriff鈥檚 office on Wednesday confirmed they were still available for emergencies but were closed to administrative work. Sheriff鈥檚 offices in the state typically provide services such as VIN inspections and records requests.
Johnson says the county commissioners were looking into how to handle the situation and possible options to remove Poley before next Thursday. That changed late Wednesday, when Poley told the county he would resign Friday, allowing the county to swear in interim sheriff Dustin 鈥淒usty鈥� Webber.
During Tuesday鈥檚 election, voters also had the opportunity to select an interim sheriff in the event the recall succeeded. Webber, a former undersheriff, won that vote with 272 votes. He will be sworn in at noon on Friday.
