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Bell named as new Henry County Sheriff Chief Deputy
With Bell’s promotion and renewed hiring efforts underway, the Sheriff’s Office is preparing for a new chapter while honoring decades of dedicated service
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MT. PLEASANT — The Henry County Sheriff’s Office has appointed Jesse Bell as its new Chief Deputy following the retirement of longtime lawman Chad Doak. The change in leadership was announced April 1 by Sheriff Rich McNamee during a public meeting.
“No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke,” McNamee said as he made the announcement at the April department head meeting. “I replaced Chad Doak with Jesse Bell.”
Bell, who previously held the position of lieutenant, now steps into the role as second-in-command at the department. He brings with him 19 years of law enforcement experience, including 15 in Henry County.
His career began at the New London Police Department in 2010 before he joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2013. Bell has since served as a Deputy Sheriff, Investigator, and Lieutenant.
“He’s an extremely efficient leader,” McNamee said. “I always tease him that he types his reports with his toes while he’s driving back from call. He gets more done before I can even think about starting lunch.”
McNamee continued to sing Bell’s praises as he told the county department heads and Board of Supervisors, “You guys would be blessed if a bus hit me today, because he’ll be the man in charge.”
The appointment comes as former Chief Deputy Chad Doak concluded a 33-year career with the department, officially retiring March 28.
“We did have the retirement of Chief Deputy Chad Doak. He retired last Friday after almost 33 years of service to the county,” McNamee said. “So, I just want to commend Chad for his 33 years of service, all to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.”
According to the report given to the Board of Supervisors at the same time as this announcement, staffing challenges remain an ongoing issue at the department, particularly in the jail division. According to McNamee, the office is currently down three jailers, with another recently resigning to take a position at an ammunition plant — a trend he noted has seen four employees make similar moves.
“They all tell me the same thing, they’re going there because they get a six or eight dollar raise on Day One,” McNamee said, while expressing appreciation for a raise scheduled to take effect July 1. “That should help out a little bit.”
Despite the hurdles, McNamee did give a hopeful note, pointing to recent recruitment efforts and a strong new addition to the leadership team.
“We’ve had pretty good interviews the last two weeks here, and I think we’ll be ready to hire some people in the next couple of weeks,” he said.
He also praised the new jail administrator, Dustin Young, who has been in the role for one month.
“Dustin Young is doing a great job. He’s clearly making a difference in our jail, and he’s on the ground and running,” McNamee said. “I’m proud of Dustin coming on board.”
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
