wabasha county sheriff

Curt Struwe sworn in as Wabasha County Sheriff

Jun 3, 2026

Chief Deputy Curt Struwe was officially sworn in as Wabasha County’s 29th Sheriff during a ceremony held May 20 in Courtroom 2 at the Wabasha County District Courthouse. Struwe began his duties on June 1. He will hold the role of sheriff until Rodney Bartsh’s successor takes office after the...

Sheriff to retire effective May 31

Apr 22, 2026

Wabasha County Sheriff Rodney Bartsh, who had planned to retire in December after nearly 40 years in law enforcement, said he has chosen instead to retire on May 31. Bartsh announced on Feb. 26 that he would not seek a fifth term in November. He has served as sheriff since 2002. He will have...

Sheriffs announce law enforcement scholarship

Sep 11, 2024

Sheriff Rodney Bartsh of Wabasha County and Sheriff Marty Kelly of Goodhue County have announced the commencement of the Law Enforcement Scholarship program for 2024. The Minnesota Sheriff’s Association’s Board of Directors has established a scholarship fund for the awarding of up to 18...

Rodney Bartsh - Wabasha County Sheriff (incumbent)

Oct 20, 2022

Why are you running for Wabasha County Sheriff? I am running for reelection because I care deeply for our citizens and their safety. Many people know that earlier this year I had announced that I was going to retire. I soon discovered that I had made the decision in haste. After having been your...

Jason Bade - Wabasha County Sheriff Candidate

Oct 20, 2022

Why are you running for Wabasha County Sheriff? Law enforcement and community service is a large part of who I am. I grew up within a law enforcement family; my grandfather, Harold, was a part time police officer in Arlington, MN. My father, Bennitt (Benny) was a police officer for several years;...

Bade is the leader the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office needs

Oct 12, 2022

Local elections are very important to participate in. These are the elections where your voice is truly heard and where your vote truly counts. We have a choice this year for Wabasha County Sheriff candidates. Our current sheriff announced his retirement in February, clearly stating that it was...

Time for a new sheriff in Wabasha County

Sep 14, 2022

First of all I want to say that I have known the current Wabasha County Sheriff his whole law enforcement career, and he is a good man, but the time has come for him to go. I give you the following reasons. First of all he made a big deal out of announcing his retirement in the Post-Bulletin and...

Law enforcement scholarships available

Aug 31, 2022

The Minnesota Sheriff’s Association (MSA) Board of Directors has established a scholarship fund for the awarding of up to 20 $2,000 scholarships for this year. These scholarships are due to the coordinated efforts of the 87 Sheriffs of the State of Minnesota. The Members of MSA gives special...

What else won’t sheriff candidates enforce?

Aug 3, 2022

According to the Lake City Graphic of July 28, both candidates for Wabasha County Sheriff, incumbent Rodney Bartsh and his challenger, Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Bade, said during a July 25 debate that they would not enforce mask mandates. A statewide mask mandate was in effect from July 22, 2020,...

Sheriff candidates debate

Jul 27, 2022

A large crowd was on hand in the event space at BJ’s Bar, Grill and Kampground Monday night to hear a debate between Wabasha County Sheriff candidates Jason Bade, and Rodney Bartsh, the incumbent. The Wabasha County Republicans organized and moderated the debate and held their committee meeting...