Lane County could appoint a new sheriff as soon as next week. County commissioners will apparently have a very small pool of applicants to choose from.
Lane County’s previous sheriff, Cliff Harrold, left halfway through his term last month to take a job at PeaceHealth. He was originally appointed to that seat and ran unopposed twice.
By law, his replacement must have been a county resident for two years, have four years of law enforcement experience, and at least two years of post-high school education, as well as meet a few other requirements.
According to county officials, only one person who applied met those criteria: Chief Deputy Carl Wilkerson, who has been serving as acting sheriff since Harrold’s departure.
Wilkerson is from Creswell and is a 2019 graduate of the FBI National Academy, according to the Chronicle newspaper. He has worked at the Lane County Sheriff’s Department since 1994.
Lane County Commissioners will publicly interview Wilkerson on June 11 at 1 p.m. and then deliberate in a public session, according to Lane County spokesperson Devon Ashbridge. If commissioners reach consensus, they’ll publicly vote on his appointment and hold a swearing-in ceremony that same day.
The public can attend the interview in-person, or watch online.
If Wilkerson is chosen, he’ll serve through the end of 2026.
