As we reported last week, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's chief deputy, Steve Henry, is considering running for his boss' current gig -- and this morning, he made it official.
"With the possible departure of Sheriff Babeu, I want to ensure we keep
moving forward with all of the improvements we have made in service on
behalf of our Pinal families over the past three years," Henry says.
Babeu is considering running for a currently non-existent Congressional seat -- it's what would be Arizona's Fourth Congressional District, as it's been proposed by the Congressional Redistricting Committee.
The proposed district includes parts of six current districts and covers
the northern part of Pinal County, stretching into western Arizona.
Congressman David Schweikert currently lives in what would be District
Four, but has said he plans to run for a different seat that includes
Scottsdale and Paradise Valley. Congressman Ben Quayle currently represents the district Schweikert is eying, and the two would potentially square off in a primary if they both choose to run for the same seat.
Chief Henry served as Traffic Section Commander for the Chandler Police Department. He has served as acting Patrol Watch and District Commander. As a Sergeant, Henry served in Bicycle Patrol, Neighborhood Services, Patrol and in SAU/SWAT in charge of deployment and tactical decisions in high risk Police incidents. Henry has also served as an Internal Affairs Investigator and Special Enforcement Detective. Henry earned his Bachelors degree in History at Arizona State University and received his Masters of Education from Northern Arizona University. Henry served active duty with the US Air Force and US Army, where he later became a commissioned Army Officer. He has numerous awards and unit citations, including the Police Medal of Honor.
Henry already has the endorsements of the Southwest Border Sheriffs, Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever, and his boss, Babeu.
Check out Henry's website here.