CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — Lake County has a new sheriff to finish the term of Democrat John Buncich, who was convicted last month of federal bribery and fraud charges.
The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports the Lake County Democratic Party on Saturday picked Oscar Martinez, a longtime Lake County sheriff’s officer to complete Buncich’s term.
State law mandates the immediate removal of an elected official after a felony conviction.
Martinez bested a field that drew more than a half-dozen candidates. He won on the third ballot of voting by hundreds of precinct committee members. Committee members are party activists elected by other Democrats in 523 precincts across the Lake County.
The sheriff oversees 475 county police, corrections officers and civilian employees, the county jail and a $32 million annual budget.
