County clerk assumes role of Ness Co. sheriff after resignations

The Ness County Sheriff’s Office is in a state of upheaval Tuesday, as the majority of the department turned in their resignations.

According to a social media report, the undersheriff, three deputies and a dispatcher resigned as of 10:50 a.m. Tuesday.

With a vacancy in the sheriff’s position after former Sheriff Bryan Whipple resigned following federal firearms charges, and Undersheriff William Sutton’s resignation today, the position of sheriff falls upon Ness County Clerk Renee Kerr.

“Due to the resignation of the undersheriff and the majority of the department, County Clerk Renee Kerr has assumed the duties of sheriff, per KSA 19-804a,” Kerr said in a prepared statement. “An emergency declaration has been signed and mutual aid is forthcoming.”

(Read more: Great Bend Post)