Butler County sheriff faces 3 challengers, including own employee

In the Butler County sheriff’s primary, incumbent Kelly Herzet faces three challengers.

They include one of Herzet’s own employees, Curtis Cox, and one his former employees, Mike Holton.

“You got three Republicans running against another Republican – that’s got to say something” about the incumbent, said the third challenger, Walker Andrews.

In a county known for conservative leanings, no Democrats are running.

Under Herzet, the Sheriff’s Office has lacked leadership and has suffered from too much turnover, the challengers argue.

Herzet: He has done the job

But Herzet said he has proven himself in five years as sheriff, as an appointee in 2011 and after winning by a wide margin in the 2012 election, when he faced a single Republican challenger.

“I’m at every SWAT call-out,” Herzet said. “I’m at every fatality. I respond to any major call.

“Being the sheriff, you’re on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Herzet, 59, of Potwin, acknowledged that it does rankle him that he has three challengers from his own party.

At a recent candidates’ meet-and-greet, Herzet provided a page-and-a-half letter discussing turnover in his department. It begins: “Sheriffs from coast to coast are dealing with high turnover … with every opposing candidate insisting turnover is a result of lack of leadership and promising he/she is the answer that will fix the problem. Butler County is no exception.”

Herzet said an underlying cause of the turnover is low pay: starting at $14.70 an hour for a patrol deputy and $13.99 for a jail deputy.

“We’ve got to get the wages up to where we can retain help,” Herzet said. The patrol unit is fully staffed, but the jail is short 10 deputies, which results in overtime expenses, he said. Herzet said he pitches in by working a 12-hour Sunday jail shift once a month.

Herzet says he has been endorsed by sheriffs in surrounding counties, including Sedgwick County Jeff Easter. Easter said he has had an “excellent working relationship” with Herzet on major investigations and with Sedgwick County inmates being held in the Butler County Jail.

Andrews: He’s most experienced

Andrews, 51, of rural El Dorado, is running for office for the first time.

He contends that he has the most extensive experience of all the candidates as a former lieutenant with the Wichita Police Department, the largest law enforcement agency in the state.

Andrews says he knows Butler County: He has lived there all but two years of his life. His father was a Butler County sheriff’s corporal.

Andrews said there have been “numerous reports” of problems in the Sheriff’s Office, including “a leaderless command staff.” Because of turnover, the department lacks experienced officers, and low pay is partly to blame, Andrews said.

He said he would give up half his salary for a year and share it with deputies and not take a pay raise until they received one – “just to make a point.”

In the 2016 county budget, the sheriff’s salary is $78,510.

His plans would include bringing back a drug task force and considering a K-9 unit, allowing deputies to avoid 12-hour shifts for officer safety and improving response times for rural areas. Andrews said he would hold any illegal immigrant who has committed a crime “as long as needed” until federal authorities could take them.

Andrews also has been talking about taking a fresh look at old cases. Many people have approached him with concerns about deaths over the years that they felt were not adequately investigated, he said.

One of those cases, he said, is the 2003 death of Becky Stone, a 24-year-old state correctional worker who died in Augusta of what an autopsy determined was a self-inflicted gunshot. Andrews said he has been asked to review evidence in the Stone case, “and I told them I would” if elected.

Holton: Turnover, leadership concerns

Holton, 47, of El Dorado, is a sergeant with that city’s police department, having left the Sheriff’s Office two and a half years ago.

He worked for the Sheriff’s Office for almost 25 years, rising to lieutenant, “and saw it when it was at its best,” he said. Holton said he left the Sheriff’s Office because he wasn’t happy under the Herzet administration.

Holton contends that turnover is the department’s biggest challenge.

“There’s been an unprecedented amount of experience that has walked out the door the last 3 years,” he said in the Eagle’s Voter’s Guide. The reason is a lack of leadership, he said, based on his own experience and what former deputies have told him.

As sheriff, Holton said, his plans would include monthly meetings with police chiefs to bolster communication in crime-fighting efforts and using a K-9 program to combat crime.

Holton has been endorsed by former Sheriff Craig Murphy, who preceded Herzet and promoted Herzet to undersheriff. Holton describes Murphy as having been “firm, but fair” and a “natural leader.” Holton said he has turned to Murphy for advice during his candidacy.

Murphy, who retired as sheriff in 2011, said he has been disappointed in Herzet’s performance as sheriff.

“Basically, to me, he has very unsatisfactory leadership skills,” Murphy said. “I didn’t see this coming. I promoted him to undersheriff. I feel like I’m responsible for him getting in there.”

Murphy said he blames Herzet for the turnover.

“He’s got problems in his leadership staff. He’s not dealing with it,” Murphy said.

Herzet responded: “That’s not true. Craig (Murphy) ruled the department with an iron fist. I feel I’m much more fair and firm and hold people accountable.

“I do believe in today’s world in law enforcement and with what’s going on across the nation, officers have to be held to higher standards” when they are coming under more scrutiny.

Cox: ‘Time for a … change’

Cox, 48, of Rose Hill, said he is running against his boss, Herzet, because “I think it’s just the time for a leadership change.”

As with the other challengers, he says turnover is a key concern.

“It’s too much we’ve lost, too many qualified personnel over the past few years” to other law enforcement agencies. “I’m really doing this (candidacy) because we need to stop … this high rate of turnover.”

One of his listed goals: “Work on bringing officer’s pay in line with other agencies in the county.” Another related goal is to form a committee of officers to help identify and solve problems in the department.

He wants to start a K-9 unit to fight drugs and to seek grants for in-car computers so deputies can spend less time in the office.

As a Butler County deputy, Cox said, he has worked in community policing and patrol and has some supervisory experience. He has previous experience with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, working at the jail, including as a field training officer. He has been with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office for 11 years.

As a candidate, he said, “I’m trying to maintain a professional and positive campaign.”

Cox said that he and Herzet have talked about treating each other professionally during the campaign.

Herzet said he isn’t happy with the situation, where one of his employees is seeking his job.

“It does cause tension in the office,” he said.

The sheriff said he has gotten questions from the public asking, “Why are you allowing him (Cox) to do this?” Herzet said the county should adopt a policy that if employees are going to run against their employer, they should have to resign.

As it is, he said, “You have a right to run, but it does cause problems in the office.”

Cox responded: “What the public should be asking is why he has three people running against him” and why “the high turnover.”

This story was originally published July 16, 2016 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Butler County sheriff faces 3 challengers, including own employee."