Scott County sheriff to bow out after 28 years on job

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County Sheriff Bill Ferrell won't file for re-election, he said Tuesday.

"Twenty-eight years is a long time," Ferrell said. "We're pretty much at the top of our game. There's a lot of things that come with being sheriff that long."

Capt. Jerry Bledsoe has filed to succeed Ferrell as sheriff. He has worked in the department off and on since 1974, he said. He has also worked in law enforcement for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the city of Chaffee. The filing deadline is March 30.

Ferrell said his supporters don't like his decision.

"The phone's been ringing off the hook," he said. "And there's a lot of tears at the office of those who didn't want me to do it. Of course, there may be some who are tickled to death to hear it. But it was a hard decision. ... I spent a lot of sleepless nights thinking about it."

Ferrell, 64, was narrowly re-elected in 2000, defeating his opponent in the Democratic primary 4,271 to 4,052. He had no opposition in the general election.

Ferrell didn't rule out a return to public service.

"My family has been through a lot of campaigns over the years," he said. "And we may go through some more, but not for sheriff."

Ferrell said his health is good and was not part of his decision to step down at the end of his term.

Bledsoe filed as a Democrat.

"My prior experience and training make me a good person to take over the sheriff's department," he said. He cited his prior leadership experience as key to helping him professionally run the department as county residents would expect.

Bledsoe and his wife, Nancy, and his stepchildren, Chad and Bailey McCormick, live in Kelso. His adult daughter, Jennifer Stanifzewski, and her husband, Jay, reside near Fruitland.

mwells@semissourian.com

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