Gosper County Sheriff Jesse Naputi is retiring after 30 years in law enforcement. His letter of resignation was tendered by the Gosper County Board of Commissioners during a 20 minute special meeting on September 3, 2024 and accepted on a 3 to 0 vote. His final day in office will be October 15, 2024. Until then, Sheriff Naputi’s letter indicates he will “continue to protect the citizens of Gosper County” and assist in the transition to his replacement. Sheriff Naputi’s term in elected office would have expired on December 31, 2027.
Some friction with the Board of Commissioners appears to have started at their June 12, 2024 meeting. The meeting minutes indicates Sheriff Naputi gave his regular Sheriff’s Report to Commissioners. A citizen “issued public comments concerning the Sheriff’s Report.” The Commissioners then went into closed session to discuss “potential litigation”. The motion does not indicate the nature of the “potential litigation” or who it may involve. But, subsequent meeting minutes indicates the Commissioners engaged an employment law attorney and went into closed session at several meetings over the summer for reasons of “personnel”. Many of those sessions were conducted in close proximity to the Sheriff’s Office reports to the Commissioners. The minutes do not indicate who or what was discussed in those closed sessions.
Sheriff Naputi was appointed by the County Commissioners on August 1, 2022 to fill the remaining term of Gosper County Sheriff Dennis Ocken who retired. Naputi was then elected sheriff on November 15, 2022.
Per state statute, Gosper County Attorney Beverly Bogle Louthan says the County Board of Commissioners must fill the vacancy within 45 days of October 15, 2024. In the meantime, state statute directs that a deputy fill the position until a replacement is appointed.
