Perry County Sheriff Gary Schaaf set to retire at end of week

Perry County, Missouri, will have a new head of law enforcement after Friday.

Sheriff Gary Schaaf announced his retirement via a release on social media last week; he will vacate the post at midnight Friday.

He said a lawsuit the sheriff filed against the county is the reason for his early retirement. In December 2018, Schaaf filed a case with the county alleging he was not being paid what he should be. The case was set to enter a jury trial at the end of this month.

The sheriff and the county entered mediation in an effort to settle the case and avoid court, Schaaf said. The two parties reached an agreement resulting in his retirement this week.

"Someone in county administration must really want me to retire because they made an attractive offer to settle my lawsuit in mediation," Schaaf said. "I am confident that I would have prevailed in my litigation, but it was an attractive offer."

Schaaf said the county insisted he retire Sept 30.

"I had wanted to stay in this office until my full retirement age for purposes of Social Security, which would have made my retirement date December 31, but they insisted on the September 30 date," the outgoing sheriff said.

Perry County commissioners did not return requests for comment in time for publication.

Schaaf started his career in law enforcement in 1982 as a deputy in the Perry County Sheriff's Office. Schaaf ran for Perryville police chief/city marshal in 1986 — he won and was then reelected to the position for two more terms.

Running for, and winning, public office became a habit for Schaaf. He was elected as sheriff by Perry County voters in 1992, taking over for his predecessor, Franklin "Dutch" Smith. He would become a stalwart of law enforcement in the rural Missouri county. Schaaf will retire in the midst of his eighth consecutive term as sheriff.

"The people of this community have shown me overwhelming support throughout my law enforcement career, and I appreciate it very deeply. This has been a great community to grow up in, to get married and raise a family in, to spend my career in, and to spend my life in. You have supported me through eleven elections," Schaaf said in the release.

The Perry County commissioners have asked Schaaf for a recommendation for his replacement, which he said he would provide before he retired.

"It's been a great ride folks, and I appreciate you more than you will ever know," Schaaf said.