Fremont County Sheriff candidates weigh in on Beicker resignation

The Sheriff's office has faced scrutiny throughout Beicker's leadership including a deputy who's is currently facing trial for stealing evidence from a crime scene.

August 2, 2018

FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. - The future of the Fremont County Sheriff's office is still up in the air after Sheriff Jim Beicker submitted his resignation Tuesday night.

County commissioners are now looking for his replacement, an interim Sheriff. Tim Payne, Commission Chair said the county isn't in a crisis because of this latest development, but "didn't see it coming."

The county is accepting applications for the temporary position instead of just picking someone who is already employed with the Sheriff's office. Payne says, "the state statute says we have to appoint a Sheriff, now the Undersheriff could be that person. We're going to choose because the state statute says to go through that process of getting the letters of intent and we'll make our choice."

Three people are currently running for the Sheriff's position come November. Beicker had already said he wouldn't run for re-election earlier this year. Winning the Republican primary was Allen Cooper, current Deputy Chief for the Canon City Police Department. His opponents are two men filing as independents; Lloyd "Skip" Moreau and James Boyd Canterbury.

All three said today they supported Sheriff Beicker in his term and now in his resignation. Allen said, "I know that being a Sheriff or a police chief are not the easiest jobs in the world."

Canterbury says, "I wish him luck and I think now is the time to go forward and with change."

Moreau told KRDO, "I don't have anything bad to say about him, glad to see he's retiring."

The Sheriff's office has faced scrutiny throughout Beicker's leadership including a deputy who's is currently facing trial for stealing evidence from a crime scene. And, again in June, former Detective Dodd was convicted of mishandling evidence in a storage locker from an unsolved murder case.

In an email sent to Fremont County Sheriff's Office employees, Beicker cited personal reasons for leaving his post.

The County Commissioner's office is accepting applications through August 16th and will be announcing a new interim Sheriff in early August.