Webster County Sheriff Tim Mitchell has announced his forthcoming resignation after seven years in office because of declining health issues.
He submitted his letter of resignation to the Board of Supervisors on Friday. Mitchell, in the handwritten letter dated Nov. 30, wrote, “I am resigning as sheriff of Webster County effective 02 January due to declining health issues.”
Minutes of Friday’s recessed board meeting show supervisors entered into executive session to discuss personnel and exited with no action taken. Board President Pat Cummings said Mitchell and Dr. Jack Huffman remained in the boardroom with them during the executive session.
Afterwards in open session, records show the board voted to “accept the letter of resignation of Sheriff Tim Mitchell, due to declining health.” The motion adds that the resignation will take effect Jan. 2.
Mitchell has one year remaining in his second term. The Board of Supervisors will have to fill the vacancy by appointment but had not done so as of Monday.
Because the vacancy will be filled in a year in which an election will normally be held for the sheriff’s office, no special election will be necessary before the 2019 primary election, which will be Aug. 6. Runoffs will be Aug. 27 and the general election Nov. 5.
Mitchell told the Progress-Times in a Nov. 7 article that he had been on medical leave the previous two months because of back and leg problems for which he has been receiving treatments. He has had hip surgery twice since taking office. Mitchell said then that his doctor was going to decide whether he should resign for medical reasons.
Mitchell was not present at the Board of Supervisors’ first monthly meeting on Monday and Landon Griffin, chief investigator with the Sheriff’s Department, opened the meeting. Before leaving, he told supervisors, “Don’t worry about the Sheriff’s Department. It’s being handled. … If we need something signed, we take it to him (Mitchell).”
Minutes show that Griffin and three other deputies were present at Friday’s meeting,
Cummings, speaking on behalf of the board during Monday’s meeting, assured the public that the board is committed to filling the position of sheriff “to the best of our ability and through much prayer.”
The board recessed until Dec. 5 for a bid opening and has two other recessed meetings scheduled for Dec. 17 and 28.
Mitchell’s previous remarks about his medical issues came in response to then-Chief Deputy Jeff Mann’s letter of resignation submitted to the board Oct. 31. Mann wrote in his letter that Mitchell had stated he was going to tender his resignation. Mann said he was resigning after witnessing “illegal activities” Mitchell had taken part of.
Mann would not expound upon his allegations and Mitchell denied his accusations, telling this newspaper he did not know of any illegal activities he was doing. He also said the district attorney’s office told him it had received no complaints against him and was not investigating him.
Mitchell is the third elected county official this year to announce they were resigning before their terms end. Jan Butler resigned as county prosecuting attorney effective Sept. 30 and Etoile Herard is resigning as District 3 election commissioner effective Dec. 31.
