By Gregg Hennigan
The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
The legal troubles of one candidate have led to a crowded field in the Keokuk County sheriffs race.
Four men are running for sheriff of the county of about 10,770 residents located southwest of Johnson County. They are: Democrat Jeff Shipley, Republican Tom Hadley and independents Ron George and Garry Deitrich.
George, the incumbent sheriff, and Deitrich, a former sheriff, entered the race after Shipley was arrested on charges of boating while intoxicated and child endangerment following an early-August incident on Coralville Lake.
Shipley has pleaded not guilty. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Oct. 29 and trial is set for Nov. 10.
Election Day is Nov. 4.
Shipley said he believes in the criminal justice system and if he’s found to have made a mistake, he’ll own up to it.
“The system works the same for me as anybody else,” he said. “I don’t expect any different treatment.” Shipley, 42, of What Cheer, was a Keokuk County sheriff’s deputy for 19 years before resigning to run for sheriff. He’s now a member of the Sigourney Police Department.
He declined to discuss the charges against him, citing the court case. According to court records, a portable Breathalyzer test registered Shipley as having a blood-alcohol content of .214 at the lake’s Mehaffey Bridge boat ramp. He is accused of knowingly acting in a manner that created risk to five children between 13 and 17.
George, 62, of Keswick, who Shipley defeated in the Democratic primary, said he filed as an independent because he believes his 28 years as sheriff make him the best person for the job.
“He’s supposed to be teaching kids about choice,” George said of Shipley. “I don’t want that guy teaching my kid -- about choice, anyway.” Deitrich, 61, of Ollie, was Keokuk County sheriff from 1973 to 1980 and now works in a grain elevator. He said he didn’t know how voters will react to Shipley’s arrest.
“I just think there’s a need for change,” he said of his reason for seeking the position.
Hadley, the Republican, said he chose to run because he thought the current sheriff’s department was not doing a good job of being responsive to the public’s needs.
The 25-year-old from Delta, who works as a quality technician for Vermeer Manufacturing Co. in Pella, also said interest is running extremely high for the sheriff’s election, with campaign signs dotting yards across Keokuk County. He is working to set up a series of four debates, with two already scheduled for Oct. 3 and 10.
“I think it’s a bigger deal than the presidential (election), honestly, in our area,” Hadley said.
Copyright 2008 The Gazette