Harrison County Sheriff's Department swears in first female deputy

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — History was made Tuesday in Clarksburg when the Harrison County Sheriff's Department swore in Kaleigh Wetzel, its first-ever female deputy.

The department announced Monday that it had officially hired Wetzel, who previously served in Lewis County. Although she is the first woman to be hired in the law enforcement division, Harrison County has other women working in the jail division, court proceedings, tax and other divisions .

Department officials said they are excited to become a gender-neutral department that serves a diverse population.

“It's very likely that as we go down the process list, we have other women in the pipeline and it's very likely that one of them will be hired in the near future,” the County Sheriff said. Harrison, Robert Matheny. “So, you know, I’m excited that we’re evolving with the times.”

Although Wetzel is taking a big step forward for women in Harrison County, she said she hopes the community will prioritize her role as deputy.

“You know, I'm the first woman in the sheriff's office, but I'm just like any other officer. I just want to do my job, go home at the end of the shift and that's it. So, I hope you are treated like that by the community,” Wetzel said.

In addition, the department also brought in Roger King, who comes to Harrison County from the town of Dunbar, as well as Joni Childers as its new chief tax deputy.