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County moves ahead with drug investigator for Sheriff’s Office
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
By a 5-0 vote, the Houston County Board of Commissioners approved a motion to create a drug investigator for the Sheriff’s Department. After reviewing a job description for a week, the board moved forward with the drug investigator at the March 25 meeting.
Sheriff Doug Ely and Chief Deputy Scott Yeiter presented the board with a proposed job description for a county investigator/drug officer at the March 18 meeting. The drug investigator would work with the Southeast Minnesota Drug Task Force, and drug task forces in Wisconsin and Iowa. The Sheriff’s Office has had an investigator’s position for many years, but not a position with the primary focus on stopping the ever-increasing problem of drug production and trafficking in the county. Houston County is the only county participating in the SE Minnesota Drug Task Force that does not have a drug investigator.
Ely explained that his staff had reviewed similar job descriptions in neighboring counties to develop the one that was presented to the county board for their review. The officer would be assigned full time with the drug task force, but would also help with investigating major crimes in the county.
“The investigator would report to us, and we would assign the duties,” Ely said. “But the major thrust of the position would be drug investigation.”
Ely reported he was able to juggle his 2008 budget to allow for an additional person in his department without increasing his budget.
“We really had to do some drastic trimming of other things to make room for a drug officer,” Ely said. “But we were able to do it. The money is there, it’s been budgeted.”
A motion was made by Commissioner Larry Connery and seconded by Commissioner Dave Corcoran to approve Ely’s request.
In other board action:
County will contract with state
The board unanimously approved a motion to contract with the Minnesota State Department of Corrections (DOC) for court probation services.
In early March, County Personnel Director Tim Comstock informed the board Court Services Director Kevin Siebold will be retiring from his position on April 25. Siebold has worked for Houston County for 30-plus years, beginning in 1977.
“Judge Fabian and I have discussed options for providing probation services and are asking the county to consider vacating the County Probation Officers (CPO) option and contract for probation services directly from DOC,” Comstock stated in a memo to the county board during the March 18 meeting.
DOC District Supervisor Rena Patterson was on hand at the March 18 meeting to review the various options available to the county.
She explained if Houston County decided to take the DOC route, persons currently working in the county court services department would become state employees, and the state would assume all liability of these employees. The supervision of these agents would be provided by DOC at no cost to the county. Human resource matters would be the DOC’s responsibility. DOC would provide the majority of the training needed at no cost to the county.
“We have heard from Judge Fabian and he is all for this,” Commissioner Ann Thompson said at the March 25 meeting. “It seems that (going with DOC) has received favorable comments all around.”
Corcoran made a motion to contract with DOC for probation services. His motion was seconded by Connery.
“I just want to state that our recommendation to go ahead with DOC is no reflection on how the office has been operated to this point,” Comstock said. “But with Kevin leaving, this seems like the right opportunity to change.”
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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