MADERA — Madera County’s Board of Supervisors made it all but official this week — Undersheriff Tyson Pogue will be the county’s new sheriff. On Tuesday (June 9), the board voted 4-0 in favor of formally appointing Pogue to be the county’s top cop. (Supervisor David Rogers was excused from today’s meeting to have hip replacement surgery.)
Pogue, 40, is replacing former Sheriff Jay Varney, who retired from law enforcement late last month to become Madera County’s new chief administrative officer.
Pogue is an Oakhrst native and 19-year MCSO veteran. He’s also a recent graduate of the FBI National Academy.
Tyson Pogue
He began his law enforcement career as a mountain patrol deputy with MCSO and also has worked extensively with the department’s K-9 squad, dive team and narcotics unit.
At next week’s meeting (June 16), supervisors will make it official with a formal resolution appointing Pogue. (By law, the County is prohibited from holding a special election to fill the sheriff’s position.)
Pogue will serve out the remainder of Varney’s term, which expires Jan. 2, 2023.
Before the vote to formally appoint him, a parade of high-profile officials endorsed Pogue, including District Attorney Sally Moreno and CAL FIRE Chief Matt Watson.
“Tyson has done an excellent job — in times of calm and in times of crisis,” Moreno told supervisors.
“Tyson has been a great partner for us,” Watson said.
Chowchilla Police Department Commander Jeff Palmer also spoke on Pogue’s behalf.
“Failure of the board to make a sound decision could result in catastrophe for Madera County,” Palmer said. “Tyson has worked side-by-side with Sheriff Varney and [local law enforcement departments] and we already have a great relationship. Nobody else in the county has the ability to lead like Tyson.”
“Tyson’s done a good job and deserves the board’s support,” said Supervisor Max Rodriguez.
Supervisors Tom Wheeler and Brett Frazier agreed. “Tyson’s the right guy for the job,” Wheeler said.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Madera County Department of Public Health Director Sara Bosse spoke briefly, telling supervisors that her department has just introduced a new COVID-19 data dashboard on its website.
“It’s a beautiful dashboard with lots of information,” Bosse said.
The additional information includes more specific locations for county COVID-19 victims. “Cases are largely following a pattern of where [the county’s] population is,” Bosse said. “There aren’t any communities that are worse than others.”
