County Sheriff Joe Nole Resigns Early; Undersheriff Andy Pernsteiner to Serve as Interim Sheriff
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Outgoing sheriff Joe Nole, photo curtesy of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office [/caption]
By Nhatt Nichols
Jefferson County Sheriff Joe Nole has resigned early from his post, ending a 34-year career with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
There wasn’t any one thing that spelled retirement for Nole; he simply realized it was finally time.
“I've been with the sheriff's office 31 years, been sheriff for the last six, and I got this feeling that is it,” Nole said. “It's time to retire and spend some time not working.”
One reason Nole gave for it being time is that he feels like the sheriff’s office is in a good place, where his leadership isn’t as necessary.
“When I first ran for sheriff, it was, you know, building the morale of the department back to where it should be and making it a place where people want to work and want to come to work,” Nole said.
Andy Pernsteiner, the current undersheriff, will temporarily assume the role of interim sheriff, effective Jan. 3, 2025. Pernsteiner will serve until the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners (BoCC) appoints a replacement.
According to state law, the county commissioners have up to 60 days to appoint a successor, putting the deadline to select an appointee in March.
Since Nole is a Democrat, the Central Committee of the Jefferson County Democrats will provide the BoCC with a list of three nominees. The county commissioners will then select the new sheriff from those nominees. The appointed sheriff will serve out the rest of Nole’s term, which ends in 2026.
Nole is no stranger to this process. The BoCC appointed him interim sheriff when Sheriff Tony Hernandez took a job as police chief of Milton, Washington. At that time, Nole wasn’t interested in running for sheriff, and Dave Stanko took over the role when he was elected in 2014.
Nole then ran against Stanko in 2018, winning 62% of the vote. He was elected sheriff for a second term in 2022, defeating a fellow Democrat, Detective Art Frank, who was Stanko’s undersheriff.
“I’m really proud that we’ve moved out of a hook ‘em and book ‘em kind of a thing to what’s the best thing to do for someone that’s having a crisis, so that they don’t have to have that again, so they can move on.”
— Sheriff Joe Nole
"The community appreciates Sheriff Nole's long service to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office,” said Lora De La Portilla, chair of the Jefferson County Democrats, in a press release. “We are interested in hearing from qualified applicants as soon as possible, and we plan to complete our part of the process before the end of January.”
Pernsteiner hopes to continue as sheriff. When appointed undersheriff in 2018, Pernsteiner found that he and Nole had very different policing styles. Nole came from working as a detective, while Pernsteiner came from a traffic cop background. Over their time together, Pernsteiner said that thanks to Nole's leadership, he has learned to slow down and look at problems more like a detective.
Pernsteiner’s approach comes directly from working with Nole, who wanted to approach situations with more compassion than his predecessors.
Nole said, “I'm really proud that we've moved out of a hook 'em and book 'em kind of a thing to what's the best thing to do for someone that's having a crisis, so that they don't have to have that again, so they can move on.”
Pernsteiner recently attended a restorative justice training and said he found the experience eye-opening. He would like to develop better ways to work with the community, including creating neighborhood watch programs and adding more support for victims.
“One thing we don’t do enough is sit in the same room, breathe the same air, and listen,” Pernsteiner said when asked about his plans for leading the sheriff’s office.
The next sheriff will oversee an office with a mixed track record. The office has hired a mental health navigator, a role that works to de-escalate and support people experiencing a mental health crisis, and has devoted energy to working with the behavioral court and providing restorative justice training.
The office also has at least four officers on the Brady list, a record of officers who have complaints against them that affect their credibility during legal proceedings, such as when they could be called as witnesses in court.
Deputies Avery, Dotson, Morris, and Stevenson, and Detective Frank are on the Brady list.
Dotson was featured in a 2021 CascadePBS article for being one of the most egregious examples of a Washington State law enforcement officer still employed. Complaints against him include a suspension for yelling at a Little League umpire while armed and on duty, exhibiting poor control over his emotions when he detoured from an urgent call to pull over and yell at a truck driver, and a 2016 incident that involved using a Taser on the face of a man he was attempting to arrest.
Changing the culture of the sheriff’s office is probably beyond one individual but including listening to community members as a priority seems like a good place to start.
Nole admitted that it was an issue, but he wasn’t able to offer a solution.
“It used to be that if you told a lie, then you would go on the Brady list. Now you can get on a Brady list from not putting your evidence away within 24 hours,” Nole explained. “I'm not making excuses for anyone, but it's easier to get on a Brady list nowadays.”
Nole went on to admit that a lot of the behaviors that can land an officer on the Brady list are problematic, but there isn’t a quick solution to the problem. “One of the most important jobs we have as sheriff is who we hire,” he said.
“I guess there's always going to be a few bad eggs. I don't want that to sound like a cop-out, but we're working with humans, and nobody's perfect. Another thing that makes it hard is if you want to fire them, and I'm totally pro-union, but with unions and attorneys, it can be very difficult. I think we do a pretty good job of nipping things in the bud when something comes up, holding the deputies accountable,” Nole said.
Regardless of whether Pernsteiner is selected to continue as sheriff, the fact that he’s undergoing restorative justice training and is an advocate for community-building practices will help ensure a more open culture in the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
If you are interested in the role of sheriff, you can apply by emailing a letter of intent and resume to the Jefferson County Democrats at info@jeffcodemocrats.com and by completing an applicant questionnaire. Letters of recommendation are welcomed.
Additional information and the applicant questionnaire will be posted to the party’s website by Tuesday, Dec. 24, at jeffcodemocrats.com.
The deadline to submit documents and complete the questionnaire is Jan. 13, 2025.
