There soon could be a new sheriff in Washington County, Va., because Sheriff Fred Newman is seeking a high-ranking spot with the U.S. Marshals Service.
If he receives the presidential appointment and U.S. Senate confirmation for the job, Newman, 56, said Tuesday, he would resign from the Sheriff’s Office with more than two years left in his current four-year term.
“I obviously would not be running two departments,” Newman said in an interview Tuesday at the Bristol Herald Courier.
If appointed, Newman would take over as U.S. marshal for the Western District of Virginia, becoming one of two head marshals in the state and among 94 in the country.
Virginia’s Western District, as set by U.S. law, encompasses the 54 counties that make up the two-thirds of the state west of Richmond, according to the U.S. Marshals’ Web site.
The duties of the office are to protect federal court judges and witnesses while also hunting fugitives.
The annual salary for the Western District marshal’s office could not be determined Tuesday. Newman’s annual salary, and that of any Virginia sheriff in a locality with a population of 40,000 to 69,999, is $88,964, according to the State Compensation Board, which covers the pay of constitutional offices.
If he is appointed as marshal and resigns as sheriff, Newman’s short-term replacement would be picked by a circuit court judge, possibly from among Newman’s four captains, according to state law. That interim replacement would serve until a new sheriff could be chosen by voters in a special, county-wide election.
Virginia Sens. Mark R. Warner and Jim Webb, both Democrats, interviewed Newman as a potential candidate in February. Newman is now vying for the job against Roanoke County Sheriff Gerald Holt, according to the letter of recommendation Webb and Warner sent to President Barack Obama on March 13.
“It’s certainly an honor to be considered at this point,” Newman said.A date for senatorial confirmation has not been set. However, Newman noted that other confirmations for marshal have been in July.
Joining the Marshals Service “is something that I had talked about maybe a couple years ago,” Newman said. He said he told his deputies of his job bid six weeks ago.
Newman, a Washington County native, first won the sheriff’s seat in 1999, and is now serving a third term. He began his law enforcement career in 1975 as a patrol officer with the Chilhowie Police Department. He soon joined the Virginia State Police and in 1996 joined the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
“I would fully expect, if I’m not successful in this endeavor, to run for sheriff again,” Newman said. “I truly enjoy what I do.”
mowens@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2649
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