MONROE - Seven weeks after Sheriff Jeff Skatrud left his term early, Gov. Scott Walker's office is keeping mum on how or when the position will be filled.
Skatrud announced his early retirement from the elected post in late July and left Sept. 2 to pursue an unspecified part-time job opportunity. When a sheriff leaves before the end of a four-year term, the governor is tasked with appointing a replacement to serve the remainder of the term. Skatrud's term would be up for election in fall 2014.
After one deadline extension, the application period ended Oct. 7.
A spokesman for Gov. Walker isn't answering questions about the appointment process or applicants and has only disclosed that Walker "plans to make an announcement in the coming weeks."
Before he left, Skatrud said he hoped the governor would appoint Chief Deputy Richard Wyttenbach, who is next in the chain of command at the department.
Wyttenbach, with the department since 1994, has been juggling the duties of both jobs as he fills in as interim sheriff.
This entails working from two desks, overseeing all aspects of the jail and answering calls and emails for two, since all messages to Skatrud get forwarded to him.
"We're just doing the best we can," Wyttenbach said.
He applied for the sheriff's position but hasn't heard back from the governor's office.
Law enforcement needs haven't indulged the staffing gap since Skatrud's department.
Green County has had two traffic fatalities in the past three weeks alone. In one, a 10-year-old boy died after an alleged drunk driver crashed into a minivan and ripped it open.
Another major case that consumed resources since Skatrud's departure involved a 15-year-old Verona boy, Wyttenbach said. The teen is charged with stealing two trucks in Monroe, leading officers on a dangerous chase, ramming head-on into two squads and refusing to surrender even after a Monticello officer fired shots at the truck.
Wyttenbach started part-time at the sheriff's department and moved to full-time in 1999. He was promoted to chief deputy in January 2011. Previously he served 20 years with the New Glarus Police Department, 15 as chief of police.
Skatrud announced his early retirement from the elected post in late July and left Sept. 2 to pursue an unspecified part-time job opportunity. When a sheriff leaves before the end of a four-year term, the governor is tasked with appointing a replacement to serve the remainder of the term. Skatrud's term would be up for election in fall 2014.
After one deadline extension, the application period ended Oct. 7.
A spokesman for Gov. Walker isn't answering questions about the appointment process or applicants and has only disclosed that Walker "plans to make an announcement in the coming weeks."
Before he left, Skatrud said he hoped the governor would appoint Chief Deputy Richard Wyttenbach, who is next in the chain of command at the department.
Wyttenbach, with the department since 1994, has been juggling the duties of both jobs as he fills in as interim sheriff.
This entails working from two desks, overseeing all aspects of the jail and answering calls and emails for two, since all messages to Skatrud get forwarded to him.
"We're just doing the best we can," Wyttenbach said.
He applied for the sheriff's position but hasn't heard back from the governor's office.
Law enforcement needs haven't indulged the staffing gap since Skatrud's department.
Green County has had two traffic fatalities in the past three weeks alone. In one, a 10-year-old boy died after an alleged drunk driver crashed into a minivan and ripped it open.
Another major case that consumed resources since Skatrud's departure involved a 15-year-old Verona boy, Wyttenbach said. The teen is charged with stealing two trucks in Monroe, leading officers on a dangerous chase, ramming head-on into two squads and refusing to surrender even after a Monticello officer fired shots at the truck.
Wyttenbach started part-time at the sheriff's department and moved to full-time in 1999. He was promoted to chief deputy in January 2011. Previously he served 20 years with the New Glarus Police Department, 15 as chief of police.