T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Joel Phillips, chief deputy of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, is familiar with all of the details of the agency. He has served under former sheriffs Steve Hoffman, who resigned on Monday, and Ted Kamatchus.

There is a new sheriff in town and it is Joel Phillips.

During a regular meeting on Tuesday, the Marshall County Board of Supervisors chose Phillips. The decision was made after Steve Hoffman resigned from the position on March 15, and accepted a job as a chief for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Prior to leaving, Hoffman provided Chief Deputy Joel Phillips with some training on duties of the sheriff, which Phillips was already familiar with as he would serve as acting sheriff when Hoffman was gone. Phillips submitted his application for the sheriff’s position, along with two other candidates, who chose to remain anonymous. One of those candidates withdrew from the running before the supervisors met to discuss the candidates in a closed session.

Patten said Phillips experience gave him an edge and he is excited to have him on board.

“It was an interesting and good time going through the interviews,” Supervisor Bill Patten said.

After Hoffman’s resignation, the supervisors began the process of appointing someone to the elected position. A special election was an option if a Marshall County resident wanted to bring it to a vote, but it would have required 1,828 signatures on a petition in a two-week time period.