Sheriff files in bid for re-election

RED OAK — Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson officially announced last week he would be seeking re-election after submitting paperwork to the county that will secure his place on the June primary ballot.

Sampson, who was elected to a first term in 2008, will be running for the Republican nomination against Chris Stephens, a sargeant in his department.

Sampson defeated Stephens in a 2008 Republican primary.

The general election will take place in November.

Sampson was hired as a deputy sheriff in 1992 by Jeff Smith. Prior to that, he served as an officer and later chief of the Griswold Police Department from 1977-1992.

He was also military police officer with the U.S. Army from 1974-1976.

During his term as sheriff, the department has secured two of the largest drug butsts in the county’s history.

Sampson wants to see more narcotics investigations such as these, if he’s re-elected.

“I’d like to continue with the drug investigations because I’m tired of hearing Red Oak is the drug capital of Southwest Iowa,” he said.

Sampson has also been instrumental in overseeing construction of the new jail.

“I’ve spent a lot of time over there and working with engineers,” Sampson said. “I would really like to see that project completed and I have the experience to make sure it’s done right.”

While spending a lot of time working on the jail, Sampson  had to postpone one of his first-term goals: creating a county-prisoner work detail.

“We could use work details for thing as simple as cleaning up after community events, like Red Oak’s Junction Days or Heritage Days in Villisca,” Sampson said. “We might as well  maximize some of the resources already spent by the County.”

Other goals for a second term include forming a Community Emergency Response Team, erecting a tower repeater in the county for better communication and securing repeaters for all of the patrol cars.

Sampson is also proud of his department’s involvement in the community, which includes securing a contract with the City of Villisca for patrolling its streets and partnering with Hy-Vee and the Drug Enforcement Agency for a prescription drug take back.

“Through that program, we were able to get rid of more than 200 pounds of drugs that could have ended up on the street or in children’s hands,” Sampson said.

A graduate of Walnut High School, Sampson and his wife Margaret have been married 28 years and they have four sons, Sean, Ben, Will and Joe and one granddaughter, Josie.