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ORD Casey Hurlburt, an Arcadia native, will return to Valley County to serve as its new sheriff.
Hurlburt, 30, was appointed sheriff by the county board of supervisors on Tuesday. He will succeed Larry Ronzzo, who resigned last month after five years on the job.
Hurlburt has served as a Broken Bow police officer, his first law enforcement job, since 2003. He said he had been looking for a way to move closer to his hometown.
He said his roots there would give him extra motivation to keep the county safe, particularly by cracking down on illegal drugs.
"I've kind of got a little pride from there," he said. "I want to make it a nice place for people to raise a family."
Bob Sevenker, the board's chairman, said Hurlburt's local ties were part of what made him an attractive candidate.
"It's always nice to be able to bring somebody back to the area with a family," he said.
In his resignation letter to the board, Ronzzo wrote that his decision stemmed from a disagreement with the board over whether he should work as a part-time deputy in neighboring counties.
"I cannot and will not deal with the stress that this situation has created," Ronzzo wrote.
He resigned effective March 31 to become an Ord police officer. Chief Deputy Gary Walker is serving as interim sheriff until Hurlburt begins.
While Ronzzo said he expected police work to be less stressful because he would not have to work with the county board, Hurlburt said he's gotten along with the supervisors so far and looks forward to working with them.
The board received seven applications and interviewed one other candidate, Steven McLeish, the Fairmont village marshal. Sevenker said he was impressed with the quality of the applicants, especially in a smaller county that can't offer a lucrative salary.
"I was unbelievably overwhelmed to have seven applicants," he said.
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