Cove man to run for county sheriff spot

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

Butch Ronne, a lifelong resident of Coryell County and Copperas Cove High School alum, recently announced his intention to run for Coryell County sheriff. “Johnny (Burks) has done a lot of good things. We’ve got some things we need to grow on, and I want to keep things going in a positive direction,” Ronne said. He said some of the biggest challenges come in the form of personnel, especially with the growth coming to the county and the new district court opening in January 2017. Ronne has been working in public safety since 1988, when after attending Texas A&M University, he began work at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, first in the institutional division and then transferring to the Hughes Unit in Gatesville. From 1992-2004, Ronne worked for the city of Copperas Cove’s police department, starting as a patrol officer, eventually becoming patrol sergeant, then training coordinator and SWAT team leader until he began working for the Coryell County Sheriff’s Office in 2004. Since October 2007, Ronne has been a Patrol Lieutenant with the CCSO, and is currently the Commander of Patrol, Courts, Transports, Work Programs, and the newly established Mental Health Unit. Ronne said the fourman unit of mental health deputies he supervises has been vital to the county, and he wants to see it continue. “We’ve seen the need for this,” Ronne said of the deputies’ work in the county in dealing with offenders who have mental health issues. “We try to divert them out of the system. It’s not jail they need,” Ronne said, adding that often the offenders committing crimes due to mental health issues need help getting on track with medication or counseling, or both. As far as the current county jail circumstances are concerned, Ronne said right now, things are “okay.” “We spend money every year on out-of-county housing of prisoners, but there is always the risk that we could lose that,” Ronne said. It has been a good fix for right now, but long term, he said he sees the need for the county to construct a new jail. “I have two goals, to keep citizens of Coryell County safe, and to keep them informed,” Ronne added. In addition to his work with the sheriff’s office, Ronne is an adjunct instructor at Central Texas College, on the CTC Faculty Senate, as well as the CTC Criminal Justice Advisory Board. He also serves as the chairman of the Coryell County Youth Advisory Board, and is a member of Mount Hiram Masonic Lodge #595, the Exchange Club, serves as vice chairman of the board of the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of Central Texas Chiefs of Police and Sheriffs Association, The Sheriffs Association of Texas, and the Texas Police Association. Johnny Burks, the current sheriff, announced in June that he would not seek another term as sheriff.