Wheeler resigns, intends to return

SANDPOINT — Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler announced Sunday he had resigned from his position but intends to return to the role in January 2025. 

According to a letter submitted to county commissioners and shared with the Daily Bee, Wheeler intends to file for retirement benefits before beginning his fifth term as sheriff Jan. 13, 2025. 

“I am required to be separated from county employment for 30 days to be eligible to receive those benefits,” Wheeler wrote in the letter. 

Wheeler told commissioners that according to Idaho Code 31-2806, Undersheriff Ror Lakewold will temporarily fill the vacancy. 

“As always, Undersheriff Lakewold has my full faith and confidence to stand in during my absence. I know he will do a great job leading the Sheriff’s Office and keeping Bonner County safe,” Wheeler wrote in a Dec. 15 Facebook post. 

In the 2024 general election, Wheeler ran unopposed and received 22,694 votes. Once he is sworn in, Wheeler’s upcoming term will expire in January 2029. 

Wheeler has served 25 of his 38 total years in law enforcement in Bonner County. First elected in 2008, Wheeler said he has successfully changed the culture within the sheriff’s office, creating building blocks that, in turn, have transformed the office into an agency that employs staff who are dedicated, courageous and trustworthy.

In 2009, he brought crisis intervention training to the five northern counties and has served on the Behavioral Health Board since its creation in 2014. On the state level, Wheeler served as the president of the Idaho Sheriff’s Association in 2012 and as the chair of the Legislative Committee in 2013.