With Benewah County Sheriff Bob Kirts not running for another term in office, the field of candidates hoping to fill the Democrat's boots has already grown to four.

The candidates, two from each party, have plenty of law-enforcement experience. Three of the candidates, Dave Resser, Larry Sotin, and Robert Loe will be familiar names to voters, having all run for sheriff in the past. Rick O'Donnell, a Benewah County sheriff's deputy, is making his first run.

The filing period is Feb. 27 through March 9, and the primary is May 15.

Dave Resser

Resser, 69, a resident of Santa, south of St. Maries on Highway 3, has been in law enforcement for 12 years. It's his third shot at sheriff.

For the past eight years he has been a resident deputy on the St. Joe River for the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office. The previous four years were spent working for the Benewah County Sheriff's Office.

The Republican promised to "work to protect the Constitutional rights of the citizens" of Benewah County. He also pledged to work "with other agencies in a cooperative manner to get things done."

Resser, who is married with three grown children, also has worked as a contractor, logger and custom boot maker.

He's a cancer survivor, who had two thirds of his right lung removed. He has lived in Benewah County since 1980.

Bob Loe

Loe, 61, a St. Maries native, spent 18 years working as a deputy for the county. He has worked the past seven years for the St. Maries Police Department.

"I'm pretty easy going, honest and loyal," said Loe, who is running for sheriff for the sixth time.

He worked as a detective for the county and has been an investigator for the city.

"I'm really dedicated to my job," Loe said.

He has been a member of a child abuse task force, and of a search and rescue team. He has worked on homicide and drug cases.

If elected, he would work to get a new jail for the county, and to curb drug use.

The Republican is married and has two grown children. In his free time he likes to go four-wheeling, hunting, fishing, and is involved in his church.

Larry Sotin

Sotin, 63, the current Benewah County undersheriff, said, "I think I have quite a bit to offer through the experience" of working with Kirts.

He has close to three decades of law enforcement experience

He has been with Benewah County since November 2005, he said. He worked with the city of St. Maries police department for 14 years, he said.

He was the lead officer in the investigation of the murder of 76-year-old Miriam Irma "Micky" Waltch six years ago this month.

As the county's undersheriff, he has managed finances, kept officers on task, handled scheduling, and worked to "creatively get the money where you need it."

At times he has been the acting sheriff.

"Our sheriff is well thought of in the county," he said.

Because of the escapes from the jail as inmates have found ways to dig their way out, and the age of the jail facilities, he would seek to have a new jail facility built.

He has lived in Benewah County since 1977, and currently lives just outside St. Maries.

He has been married 41 years, and has four grown children.

He describes himself as a conservative Democrat.

Rick O'Donnell

O'Donnell, 41, said he plans to work for the sheriff's office for a long time, and would like to contribute as sheriff.

"I think I have a lot to offer the community," O'Donnell said. "People like the way I treat them. I really do like this community. There are great people here."

The conservative Democrat said he would work to address drug problems in the county, seeking to appoint a full-time narcotics officer.

He would also like to start an inmate workforce program, and get new jail facilities.

Along with the escapes, the county has inmates being housed in other counties, which is costly, he said.

"We just don't have enough room," he said.

He said he has lots of ideas, and he's doing research now to determine whether those ideas would serve the county well.

O'Donnell, whose wife Darla is a St. Maries native, moved to Kellogg in 1991 from western Washington. He then moved to St. Maries and began working for the city's police department.

He worked for the St. Maries police for roughly eight years, and spent the past three years with the sheriff's office as a patrol deputy, he said.

He has received law enforcement administration training at the FBI Executive Command College.

"Sheriff Kirts is doing a great job," he said. "If he was running for sheriff, I wouldn't be running. He's taught all of us a lot."

The message from Kirts has been "law enforcement with common sense," he said.