Sheriff Loses Election To His Deputy, Fires Him Moments Later
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TYNDALL, S.D. (CBS Local) - A South Dakota sheriff didn't handle losing his bid for re-election well. The sheriff was defeated by his deputy and then fired him.
Bon Homme County Sheriff Lenny Gramkow was soundly beaten by Deputy Mark Maggs on June 5. Maggs took home 878 of the 1,209 votes to become the county's new sheriff in January.
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Gramkow apparently wasn't ready for there to be a new sheriff in town and sent his deputy a letter of termination one minute after the polls closed on Tuesday. The election winner posted his former boss's letter on Facebook with the caption, "Here's the Integrity of Lenny Gramkow."
The spiteful act now leaves Maggs, his wife, and four children without a salary and health insurance until he takes over as sheriff in six months. "My position right now is not only keeping my family's best interests in mind but also Bon Homme County's best interests in mind," Maggs said, via the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan.
Local residents have reportedly started a petition to have Maggs reinstated. The future county sheriff added a message to his Facebook post saying he is confident the county will find a way to take care of his family.
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"The petition will not be necessary. I trust our county commissioners heard your voices last night through the election results, and I also trust that they will stand with my family and I in the way you all have and ensure that my family will not be left hanging without an income or insurance," Maggs wrote on June 6.
Sheriff Gramkow has refused to comment on the firing since election night.