Chief deputy announces candidacy for sheriff

Staff Report

Chief Deputy Jeff Crooks threw his hat in the county sheriff’s election ring Thursday, announcing his candidacy the same day Sheriff Rick Lynch announced his upcoming retirement.

“I want to keep the office moving in a positive direction and continue to educate and train the deputies to adapt to an evolving society,” Crooks said in a press release.

Crooks has been a member of the sheriff’s office since Nov. 2004, graduating from the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in April 2005. He began as a night patrol deputy working third shift and then evening shift, the press release said, before becoming the department investigator. Crooks was promoted to Chief Deputy in July 2013.

“My goals for the sheriff’s office is to continue to have a positive working relationship with the citizens of Floyd County,” Crooks said. “I would also like to continue to work with the Board of Supervisors on the future of the Floyd County jail.”

Crooks is a 1988 graduate of Charles City High School and received his bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Northern Iowa in 1993. He previously worked for the Pleasant Valley School System from 1994 to 2002, teaching physical education and coaching.

Crooks and his wife Kerry Wetherell Crooks have four children: Connor and Kylah, both college freshmen; Kelsi, a junior at Charles City High School; and Chase, a sixth grader at Charles City Middle School.