Marion County has a new sheriff.
Lieutenant Andy Garden was sworn in by Judge Michael McHaney to replace retiring Rich Stevenson.
Garden thanked everyone for their support and confidence.
“I want to build on what we have now. Of course, there are always areas for improvement. Some of that is self-reflection because being #2 I have assisted the sheriff on a lot of this stuff on my own. There is always room for improvement. We have a lot to deal with the new laws. As we go through some of the training, it is not as bad as I thought. One of my number one goals is to keep my guys safe and in this atmosphere, that keeps me up at night.”
Garden is in his 32nd year at the sheriff’s department. He hasn’t yet made a decision on if he will seek the job in next year’s election. If he doesn’t, Garden says he plans to retire at the end of the appointed term on December first of next year.
After being sworn in, Garden announced several other promotions and a new deputy and sworn them into their new positions. 19-year department veteran and Investigator Anthony Decker will fill Garden’s position as Lieutenant.
“It’s obviously going to be a big learning curve but I have a great Sheriff to lean on. With the great staff that we have, I think the transition will be pretty smooth. Kevin [Cripps] is going to do a great job filling my spot. I think the transition will be pretty smooth. Of course, there will be some growing pains through the transition but I think everything will be great.”
Decker’s Investigator position will be filled by Sergeant Kevin Cripps. Deputy John Minton has been promoted to fill the Sergeant opening. Minton will then be replaced by new Deputy Corey Cline who is currently a part-time correctional officer. He served four years in the Navy before starting the correctional officer position. Cline will begin the police academy on August 23rd and will be riding along with deputies the next month to become familiar with the job.
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Newly sworn-in Sheriff Andy Garden (right) swears in newly appointed Deputy Corey Cline, new Investigator Kevin Cripps, new Sergeant John Minton, and new Lieutenant Anthony Decker. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Stevenson was among those in the audience for the swearing-in ceremonies.
“It was pretty special. Me and Andy go back to the early ’90s and to see him get this. My hats off to him. I hope he decides to run next term. It was nice seeing him swear in the other guys. It’s really making the department stronger and going to be a really great place to be at.”
Stevenson is moving to Florida for his retirement following a 40-year law enforcement career that also included the Centralia Police Department and Centralia Correctional Center.