Jared Froggatte, who has worked in both the Iola Police and Allen County Sheriff’s departments, has become the second candidate to replace outgoing Sheriff Tom Williams.
Froggatte filed by petition last week with the Allen County clerk’s office, ensuring his candidacy. The filing deadline for county and state offices is noon Friday.
The 39-year-old Froggatte vowed he would stress fiscal restraint if elected sheriff.
“We’ve bought a lot of new trucks and new cameras, while we’ve had deputies go for quite a while without raises,” he said — two trends he would see reversed if elected.
“A county our size doesn’t need two sniper rifles, which is what we’ve bought,” Froggatte said.
Froggatte’s career in law enforcement started in 2003 when he joined the Iola Police Department. His time with the city was interrupted in 2004 and 2005 when he was summoned, with the rest of the National Guard’s 891st Engineer Battalion, to serve a year in Iraq.
Froggatte returned stateside, working part time with IPD when he was offered a job with the sheriff’s department.
He worked there until about six months ago.
“It was just time for a change,” he said.
Froggatte, 39, also farms about 1,000 acres — he did so while working law enforcement — from his home west of Iola.
Froggatte filed as a Republican, ensuring a primary vote in August against Undersheriff Bryan Murphy, who filed earlier. Former Iola police officer Skyler Clark has announced plans to run for sheriff as an independent but has not yet filed; he may do so until the day before the primary election.
Bryan Murphy’s wife, Angie, is director of the county’s 911 dispatch center.
“I think there’s a pretty significant conflict of interest,” Froggatte said, if Murphy were to be elected.
He pointed to a recent investigation spearheaded by the sheriff’s department into the arrest of Iolan Don Farmer by Iola police officers, an investigation that led to disorderly conduct charges against the 77-year-old Farmer being dismissed.
Froggatte noted a component of the investigation was into the response by dispatchers. “I just don’t know how you can have an investigation like that and not worry about a conflict of interest.”
Froggatte and wife, Wendy, have four children and one grandchild.
