VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Another public official in Virginia Beach is stepping away from the job. Sheriff Ken Stolle is retiring.
The former state senator served as sheriff since 2010. His retirement date is still to be determined.
When Stolle does retire, Chief Deputy Rocky Holcomb will take over as interim sheriff until a special election is held. Holcomb, who currently represents the Kempsville District on the Virginia Beach City Council, will resign from his council seat when he takes over as interim sheriff.
In announcing his retirement, Stolle issued the following statement:
"The last 13 years have been the most rewarding of my career. I am so proud to have served as sheriff of Virginia Beach and to have had the privilege of leading the men and women of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. We have accomplished some incredible things together and have made the VBSO, the Virginia Beach Correctional Center and the city of Virginia Beach better, safer places.
"So with careful consideration and reflecting on these accomplishments, I have decided not to seek reelection and will retire later this year. This was a difficult decision, but it's time that I focus on my family and make room for the next generation of leadership. I am proud to announce that, when I retire, Chief Deputy Rocky Holcomb will be sworn in as sheriff until a special election can be conducted. Chief Deputy Holcomb has dedicated his career to the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office and will be a great sheriff.
"I also want to share that I will be having back surgery soon and will be out of the office for several weeks. During that time, Chief Deputy Holcomb will lead in my stead.
"Thank you to the citizens of Virginia Beach for entrusting me with this incredible honor for all of these years. Thank you to Mayor Bobby Dyer and the Virginia Beach City Council for all of their support. And thank you most of all to the men and women of the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office. This has been the greatest honor of my career."
13News Now spoke with Holcomb, who said he plans to run for the special election to permanently fill the seat in 2024.
"It's bittersweet to see Sheriff Stolle leaving. We're certainly going to miss Sheriff Stolle," Holcomb said. "When I started here, I never imagined one day becoming the sheriff. "I've come to work every day and put in a good day's work and respectful of everyone I come into contact with and just knowing hard work pays off."
Holcomb said when he starts preparing for the special election, which has not yet been scheduled, he wants to make it clear to the people a big focus of his with the jail is improving the mental health of inmates and providing more opportunities for them.
"We're certainly ready for the special election and I want to take my resume out to the community and let the voters make the decision and see that my resume certainly has proven to be a good sheriff here in Virginia Beach," Holcomb said.
Since state law prohibits a sheriff from holding a seat on city council, this leaves Holcomb's council position open once he takes over. He said there are steps the city council needs to take to ensure public input is received.
13News Now reached out to all city council members about this change. Councilman Michael Berlucchi said he believes Holcomb is a great fit for the sheriff position. He added there's no strict timeline yet of when they will conduct public input and an election to fill Holcomb's seat, since Sheriff Stolle's announcement is still fresh.
"I have every expectation we'll continue to proceed in the same manner with any upcoming vacancies that would occur," Berlucchi said. "We just want to make sure we are able to have an opportunity for everyone to participate, for the community to express their opinions on how they would like to see that process look and who they would like to serve."
Berlucchi said he thinks Sheriff Stolle had a great career, saying, "He absolutely made life better in Virginia Beach for everyone through his compassionate approach to his law enforcement responsibilities."
Councilman Joash Schulman said he did not want to comment on what comes next for Holcomb's seat on city council. However, he responded to questions about his perspective of Stolle's retirement and Holcomb taking over as interim sheriff, saying:
"Councilmember Holcomb's 30+ years of service in our Sheriff's Office has earned him the respect and support of his fellow deputies, and, as a community, we are grateful for his honorable service to Virginia Beach, and for his willingness to assume his new role as acting sheriff. Rocky's presence will certainly be missed on the council."
Councilman Christopher Taylor responded to our inquiry, saying, "I’m excited for Councilman Holcomb and the opportunity for him to become acting sheriff. My hope is that the public will have a say in his replacement. For me, hope the individual is community focused with a desire to serve Virginia Beach."
Councilwoman Sabrina Wooten said she did not wish to comment on the changes. The other city council members did not respond to our inquiry Wednesday.