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The Routt County Sheriff's Office has an immediate opening for a sheriff's deputy and expects one or two additional openings in the coming months.

Functioning without just one of its 12 patrol deputies stretches the small office, Lt. Richard Wood said.

"Because we're a small agency, each deputy has a major impact upon the workload of the rest," Wood said.

The position has been open for the past few weeks and was opened when newcomer Deputy Nathaniel Meade left. Meade had accepted the job just more than a month before he left to take a job with the New York State Highway Patrol, Wood said.

Because Meade had no previous law enforcement experience, his short stay turned out to be costly to the office, Wood said.

"It cost us a lot of money to hire, process and equip (Meade), and five weeks of training down the tubes," he said.

Deputy Kevin Carson recently announced that he has joined the U.S. Army and plans to leave sometime in February, Wood said.

"He'll be sorely missed," he said.

A third deputy, who Wood cannot give details about, also is expected to leave.

The office is advertising for a patrol deputy position, which requires the applicant to be state certified or certifiable, which means he or she was certified in another state and can become certified in Colorado, to have 60 hours of higher-level education or a combination of education and experience, and to be at least 21 years old and have a valid Colorado driver's license.

The position pays between $3,007 and $4,068 per month, plus benefits.

Wood said the office plans to fill Meade's position first, and if it gets enough response, it could make an eligibility list for Carson's position.

-- To reach Susan Cunningham, call 871-4203 or e-mail sbacon@steamboatpilot.com