A Colorado sheriff is living mainly in Florida and handling his day-to-day responsibilities via email, according to a report from 9News, a news station in Denver, Colorado.
The news station reports that Park County, Colo., Sheriff Fred Wegener sold his home in Grant, Colo. in July 2018 and announced shortly after that he would be retiring on his own schedule.
{mosads}Wegener had announced in 2017 that he would not be seeking reelection. Park County Undersheriff Dave Wohlers said to 9News in August that Wegener would be retiring in the first week of September.
But 9News reports that Wegner did not retire. He instead withdrew his resignation and kept his salary, according to the report.
County commissioners told WTSP that Wegener rented a residence in Park County and took a vacation with the intention of remaining sheriff until his term concluded.
“I came down to Florida in August on vacation, as you can imagine I have quite a little bit. I am back and forth, handling the day to day issues by e-mail,” Wegener said in an email to 9News.
He did not mention how often he returns to Park County. Wohlers told the news station that he thinks Wegener spends about a week in Park County each month before returning to Florida.
Wohlers added that the Park County commissioners had a budget for 26 sworn officers in 2018. Sixteen deputies currently patrol the county, with about 10 job openings, the news station reported.
The Park County Sheriff’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment from The Hill.
Park County commissioners declined to respond to questions from the news station about Wegener’s absence, while Park County attorney Erin Smith denied camera access during a Dec. 13 public county commissioners meeting.
One of its reporters asked the commissioners during the meeting if it was okay for a sheriff to perform his job duties from Florida.
“We’re a statutory county, which means that the sheriff is a statutory position,” Commissioner Dick Elsner replied. “We as board of county commissioners have absolutely no control over the sheriff.”
Elsner later said that he has “a problem with the citizens of Park County going through the news to talk to us” when asked about the community’s concerns over the sheriff’s absence.
“I have not received emails concerning the sheriff. We as – me personally, yes, I know we have issues,” Elsner said.
9News notes that Wegener is currently manning a high-profile murder investigation stemming from a 17-year-old’s death. Maggie Long, a high school student in the county, was reported missing in December 2017 and later found in her family’s home.
The FBI and Colorado Bureau of Investigation have joined the case. But the Park County Sheriff’s Office is still leading the probe, according to 9News.