Wichita County Sheriff David Duke submits official letter of retirement

WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - Wichita County Sheriff David Duke has made his retirement official after meeting with county commissioners Tuesday morning to formally submit his letter of retirement.

Members of the commissioners court praised Duke for his 43 years of service to the county, sharing personal memories and thanking him for modernizing the sheriff’s office during his tenure.

Duke said the board was very supportive of his decision to step down.

“Some of these people I’ve known long before I became sheriff. So, it’s kind of like being in the family and you’re moving off somewhere, you know, so to speak. And I’m not going far. I’ll still be here, be around and be able to be involved with some things with the sheriff’s office anyway. So not going far,” Duke said.

The commissioners also held a closed session to discuss the process for appointing Duke’s successor.

County Judge Jim Johnson emphasized the importance of selecting the right person for the role.

“The sheriff position is extremely important. I mean, counties with a good sheriff are typically going to be in good shape, and if you’ve got a bad one, it can be difficult. We’ve had a good one for a long time,” Johnson said.

Duke said he hopes the court will appoint his second-in-command, Deputy Chief William Rutledge.

“He’s in tune with every facet of the sheriff’s office every bit of the budget area. And that’s a big thing because we have the largest budget in the county government, they just can’t have somebody come in that wants to be sheriff because they like the hat and run around bark about people. That doesn’t work that way,” Duke said.

While the court did not announce Duke’s successor, they hope to have a decision made by next week’s commissioners court meeting on August 26.