Howell County Sheriff’s First Year in Office

The content and scope of a year-in-review interview with Howell County Sheriff Matt Roberts covered such a wide range of information that we are presenting it in a three-part series. The first week will examine the new sheriff’s campaign promises. Elected with a decisive majority after a contentious 2024 campaign season, Roberts has just completed his first calendar year in office.

 

Formerly a lieutenant in the jail division, Roberts was vocally critical of the staff turnover rate under former Sheriff Brent Campbell. In a January 2025 interview, Sheriff Roberts announced his intentions to curtail spending, and unnecessary spending he identified during his employ at Howell County Sheriff's Officer (HCSO) was also part of his campaign platform. 

 

Now, the numbers are in, and Roberts sat down with Howell County News on Friday, Feb. 13 to discuss both these metrics, as well as changes to service numbers, 2026 goals, and the future of Howell County Jail. 

 

Staff turnover was, “a little higher than I wanted,” Roberts said. 16 employees have parted ways with HCSO in his first year in office. “I was still dealing with past personnel issues.”

 

Roberts noted that, despite the vitriol of the campaign, he did not fire anyone when he came into office. 

 

Five of the employees were terminated for policy violations. Others, who may have violated policies, left HCSO before any internal investigations began, and two moved on because, “life happens,” Roberts said. 

 

Still, it’s not “the same kind” of turnover he witnessed while he was an employee. 

 

“We are shifting the culture,” Roberts said. “The turnover in the jail division has all but stopped. We have stability there again.”

 

The sheriff mentioned a couple new recruits he’s proud to have acquired: Colter Reed and Patrick Buenger. 

 

In spending patterns, budget spreadsheets Roberts provided showed his actual spending in 2025 was $6.337 million, compared to $6.263 million in 2024. 2025 expenses were more than $750,000 less the year’s budget. 

 

Roberts noted his department’s spending was lower in all categories except vehicle repairs and utility costs. He held off on vehicle purchases and a couple other larger purchases to be cautious, but did solicit bids for vehicles last month. 

 

2025 revealed a couple invoices from 2024 that were a surprise, such as a lease/purchase of Taser equipment that is a cost of seven thousand annually. Evaluating the budget this year means “reassessing lots of little stuff,” and coding spending in a more detailed way. 

 

He says he rolled over $710,000 at the beginning of the year, compared to $482,000 that rolled over from 2024 to 2025. 

 

Part two of these series will delve into the law enforcement work Roberts has done in the first year, crime patterns, and his 2026 goals. See the Feb. 25 edition of Howell County News for Part Two.