New Hire Brings Kosciusko Sheriff’s Office To Full Staff
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — Sam Phat is the newest Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy.
Before the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Merit Board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 13, Sheriff Kyle Dukes told InkFreeNews of the hiring.
Phat has been with the North Webster Police Department since 2019. He’s expected to begin work Monday, Oct. 18, said Dukes.
That leaves the KCSO fully staffed with officers.
JCAP Report
The merit board also heard several KCSO department reports, including from Jail Chemical Addiction Program (JCAP) Coordinator Courtney Jenkins. She shared that the two sessions of JCAP being held now are going well.
“Our early group … is going to graduate Nov. 12,” she said. “We have not lost anyone from this group, which is not something that we have experienced before. So that’s really nice. They’re very dedicated to the program and to making it work and that is what I tell them is don’t allow someone else to take this opportunity from you and they seem to be taking that very seriously.”
“Our newest group that we just brought in, well, they’ve been in for about a month and a half and they’re awesome,” she continued. “It’s an older group of guys between 40 and 50, older than what we’re used to as a whole and so they just seem very mature, very ready for change. They take the classes very seriously, they all get along really well. I don’t expect to have any issues whatsoever out of this group. They’re just a fantastic group.”
She also said that a June JCAP graduate who wanted to start speaking to students about his experience has had the opportunity to speak to Wawasee High School students and will be talking soon to Tippecanoe Valley High School students.
In other business, the board:
- Heard from Sgt. Travis Shively, who said three county officers at the policy academy are expected to finish up on Dec. 10.
- Also heard from Shively that officers went through two firearms courses taught by Henk Iverson, who’s trained Green Berets, Navy Seals, CIA officers and Delta Force.
- Heard from Jail Commander 1st Sgt. Shane Coney that 244 people were incarcerated in the jail as of Wednesday.
- Heard from Work Release Director Heather Desenberg that approximately 81 people were in work release as of Wednesday morning. She shared that one of the work release participants was “offered a supervisor position” at Maple Leaf Farms. “I think that’s a pretty big step for somebody who’s been in her shoes,” Desenberg said.