Chris Wells is taking over as Osage County sheriff earlier than he may have planned.
Wells defeated longtime sheriff Laurie Dunn in the Republican primary back in August. Earlier this month, Dunn announced her plans to retire effective Thursday. The Osage County Republican Party submitted Wells’ name to Governor Laura Kelly so Wells could take over the slot this week. Kelly has signed off on that move.
Wells joined the Osage County Sheriff’s Office in 2009, working lake patrol before becoming a full-time deputy with experience in investigations and K-9 handling. He left the force in 2016 before running for election.
Dunn, meanwhile, started with the Sheriff’s Office as a dispatcher in 1981 before becoming a jailer in 1985. Dunn became the county’s first female road deputy in 1994 and was elected sheriff in 2004.
