A crowd gathers for the swearing-in ceremony for Marathon County Sheriff Chad Billeb. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Chad Billeb was officially sworn in Tuesday as the new Sheriff in Marathon County.
“I am committed to this community, I care about this community, I love this community,” said Billeb before taking the oath of office. “That will not change. I am here because I want to see things better for me, my family, and for everyone else in the community.”
Billeb credits outgoing Sheriff Scott Parks, who was present for Tuesday’s ceremony, with helping him grow in law enforcement. The two were seemingly tied together at the hip as Billeb moved up the ranks, and he says that means Parks’ influence will never be too far from the department.
“For nine, going on ten years, I’ve served directly with him. His fingerprints are all over my career. His philosophies, the way he treats people; I’ve seen it from the best. I intend to be very similar in that vein,” said Billeb.
Billeb has served in the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office since 1999 and was promoted to his previous position of Chief Deputy in 2013 after Parks was appointed Sheriff by former Governor Scott Walker.
He also spent time with the Colby-Abbotsford Police Department.
Several dignitaries spoke during the 45-minute ceremony including Marathon County Administrator Lance Leonhard, County Board Chairman Kurt Gibbs, and Vice-Chair Craig McEwen. Supervisor Matt Bootz served as master of ceremonies.
But it wasn’t all fun and games on Billeb’s first day. Billeb held a media availability with local reporters surrounded by his family about an hour before Tuesday’s ceremony to discuss his new position. That was followed by a brief news conference regarding an incident in the Town of Elderon before the focus shifted to the ceremony.
