Dear Fellow Residents of Teller County,

I write to first thank you for entrusting me with the Office of Sheriff of Teller County over the past two terms and, second, to formally announce my retirement as Sheriff.   I provided official notice of my retirement in a resignation submitted to the Board of County Commissioners.    The end of my term as Sheriff is noon, September 3, 2010.

The Board of County Commissioners, on behalf of Teller County, filed a lawsuit to gain a judicial determination of whether I ceased being the Sheriff, which further involved examining whether I was an “inhabitant” of Teller County.  Unfortunately, just arriving at a definition of “inhabitant” would have required a great sum of taxpayer dollars and diversion of other important resources from both the County and the Sheriff’s Office.   In fact my attorneys, The Gasper Law Group in Colorado Springs, and the attorneys for the Board were in the midst of preparing for a court hearing set in El Paso County on September 16, 2010.

As it turns out my term as Sheriff would have officially ended as a result of term limits at the end of this year.   Although I am confident that I continue to be an “inhabitant” of Teller County and had excellent legal counsel ready to establish this as a matter of law, I believe it is in the interests of the residents of Teller County to resolve this matter immediately.  Protracted litigation combined with anticipated appeals would have taken money, time and other resources to resolve.  These same resources are better put to use for the direct benefit of Teller County Residents. 

As many of you may already know, my wife and I placed our Teller County house on the market this year and purchased a home in Colorado Springs closer to my mother.  Although our Teller County home sold faster than expected, I made arrangements for rental housing in Teller County so that I would continue to have a local presence.  At no point did I desire to abandon my well-established connections with Teller County.  In fact, I continue to be a registered voter in Teller County and hold a current vehicle registration in Teller County. 

I appreciate the many letters of support and voices of encouragement over the past weeks.  I also would like to thank my dedicated staff and support with the Sheriff’s Office.   I share a special thanks for my attorneys, Matthew Drexler, Bill Edie, and Allen Gasper of The Gasper Law Group who were able to assist me in my goal of a smooth transition of the Sheriff’s Office.  While the Sheriff’s Office moves forward, I am also eager to take advantage of other employment opportunities and will be more available to my family and ailing mother who lives in Colorado Springs.   

I am deeply grateful for opportunity to have served as your Sheriff.   

Sincerely,

Sheriff Kevin M. Dougherty

Sheriff

Kevin M. Dougherty

Undersheriff
Stan Bishop

Operations Commander
Bud Bright

Professional Standards/
I.A./ERT Commander
Les Lewis

Professional Standards/
I.A./K-9 Sergeant
Roger Sandefur

Investigations Sergeant
Nick Olmsted

Operations Sergeant
Jason Mikesell

Operations Sergeant
Mark Foky

Detention Sergeant
Bill Cooner

Administrative Assistant
Sheryl Lewis

Civil Clerk
Sherril Sirochman

Sheriff's Finance Assistant
Carrie Weeden

Detention Finance Assistant
Julie Seymour