Sodders

State Center Mayor and former two-term state senator Steve Sodders resigned from the sheriff’s office in lieu of termination in July 2017, records show.

Sodders, who will appear on Tuesday’s ballot for Marshall County Auditor/Recorder, dropped out of the race on Oct. 16, eight days after Marshall County Sheriff Steve Hoffman received a records request for his personnel file.

The resignation agreement included an official end date of Nov. 20, 2018, which was already his planned date of retirement. Sodders, who has been required to record his entire workday with a body camera per the agreement, violated Marshall County Sheriff’s Office general orders of making false statements, inefficient performance of duty and jeopardizing the effective functioning of the department, according to the records.

Sodders declined an interviewed, but issued a statement.

“It has been my great honor to serve the people of Marshall County for 20 years as a deputy sheriff. During my career, I have always tried to conduct myself in a manner that reflects best practices in police work,” Sodders said in a statement. “That approach has led to me being the lead investigator on a number of crimes that were successfully prosecuted. It has always been my plan to retire upon my 50th birthday and to pursue other career opportunities.

“Law enforcement is difficult work, both mentally and physically. The internal investigation happened over a year ago, and the findings were ones that I disagreed with. I am grateful that Sheriff Hoffman took into consideration my years of service to the people of Marshall County and allowed me to finish my career.”

Sodders served a 30-day suspension, including 12 days unpaid in July 2017, per the agreement. He was also deducted 18 days from accrued leave and remained eligible for health care, but at his own expense. The agreement also laid out specific requirements such as no initial assignment to a take-home car and shifting of his primary duties to include civil papers and transport activities.

Hoffman said it is not common for the office to be forced to terminate employees and was not aware of any other resignations in lieu of termination structured in this manner.

“This was a negotiated agreement that protected the interests of the county, including staffing needs, and recognized Deputy Sodders nearing retirement eligibility with 20-years at this office and nearly 30-years in public safety,” Hoffman said in a statement. “The incident resulted in Deputy Sodders having limited utility to the office, which we were not in a position to sustain indefinitely.

“Limited utility would have been the primary reason for termination, rather than a lesser form of discipline. His assignment to civil and transportation was a mutual benefit that supported the needs of the office and he performed well in this final assignment.”

The agreement also stated Sodders should “not seek re-employment with the county in the future.” Hoffman said it was undetermined if running for auditor/recorder violated the agreement. Sodders was not initially planning to run for the position but agreed to following a nomination from local Democrats.

“Being eligible for rehire within the county and running for elected office may well be two different things, considering constitutional rights to run for office,” Hoffman said.

In a statement given at the time of dropping out, Sodders said he could not fully commit to the role of auditor/recorder.

“I had every intention of serving the public had I won in November, but circumstances have changed and I must remain committed to my family, new professional opportunities and as the mayor of State Center,” Sodders said in a statement at the time.

Sodders’ name will appear on the ballot with Republican incumbent Nan Benson for auditor/recorder because ballots were printed before he dropped out.

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Contact Emily Barske at

(641) 753-6611 or

ebarske@timesrepublican.com