LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Former West Buechel Police Chief James Sherrard has a new job with the Breckinridge County Sheriff's Office.
The office made the announcement on Facebook on Thursday:
"Welcome, Jim Sherrard to the Sheriff's Office. Jim has been in law enforcement for 22 years. Some of Jim's qualifications include Firearms instructor, CCDW instructor, First Aid, AED & CPR instructor, and Master Diver. Jim will also be a new resident here in Breckinridge. Let's give Jim a warm welcome to the county and the Sheriff's Office."
Pictured: James Sherrard is now an employee of the Breckinridge County Sheriff's Office.
Sherrard resigned as West Buechel's police chief in May after nine years with the department after he was investigated for attempting to influence witnesses.
A disciplinary letter from West Buechel Mayor Brenda Moore says Sherrard allowed his wife to ride with him to an active crime scene after a high speed chase that ended in a shooting involving a Louisville Metro Police officer in March on Bashford Manor Lane.
He was suspended for misconduct, but the investigation stopped after his resignation because of a loophole in state law.
Breckinridge County Sheriff Billy Richardson told WDRB News he made the decision to hire Sherrard despite knowing that he had been investigated while at West Buechel.
In a statement to WDRB News, Richardson said he reviewed Sherrard's records and contacted his previous employers and colleagues before hiring him.
Sherrard was sworn in on Sept. 1 as a patrol deputy. Richardson said the new deputy knew leaving his wife in a patrol car was a "poor choice" and resigned to save the West Buechel Police time and resources on a hearing.
Despite the support of the sheriff, Sherrard doesn't yet have the full support of the community.
"Everybody makes mistakes and second chances are good, but I think everybody needs to be on the up and up and as a community, we should get to decide," Breckinridge County resident Sandy Mattingly told WDRB News. "I understand being a police officer is a very hard job, (but) they need to live up to the code of ethics they were sworn to."
Richardson said Sherrard's resignation as chief from West Buechel was the only incident brought to their attention by Sherrard and any of his former employers.
You can read Richardson's full statement about Sherrard's hiring below:
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