On Tuesday, January 3rd, Nathan Stadler was sworn in as Lake County Sheriff. Stadler was elected sheriff after former Sheriff Carey Johnson retired.
Sheriff Stadler grew up in the Silver Bay area and graduated from William Kelley High School in 1990. He received an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Law Enforcement from Alexandria Technical College in 1992, and in 1994 was hired as a part-time police officer for Silver Bay. In 1996, Stadler was hired as a Deputy Sheriff for Lake County and has worked in the Sheriff’s office ever since. Promoted to Sergeant in 2013 and Undersheriff in 2020, Stadler was then appointed Interim Sheriff by the Lake County Board of Commissioners in 2022 following the retirement of Sheriff Carey Johnson. Stadler chose to go into law enforcement to “help people when they need it most and help keep the community safe.” When asked what he enjoys most about working in law enforcement, Stadler responded, “Making someone’s bad day more bearable by doing whatever I can to help them.” He has also enjoyed the variety of jobs he’s been able to do while working in law enforcement, including patrolling the county by squad car, snowmobile, and ATV; searching for lost people, and working with other law enforcement agencies to solve a crime. In light of his recent election to sheriff, Stadler says, “I will continue to work hard every day to keep Lake County a safe place to live, work, and visit.” He looks forward to continued work with the employees of the Sheriff’s Office; local law enforcement; fire, ambulance, and rescue crews; and the citizens of Lake County. On January 5th, Tim Luoma was sworn in as
Chief Deputy. A lifelong resident of Lake County, Luoma and his wife Mandi currently live in Two Harbors, where they have raised four sons.
Chief Deputy Luoma began his career in law enforcement on a non-traditional path. After graduating from Two Harbors High School in 1997, Luoma, whose father was a member of the Two Harbors Fire Department, was drawn towards becoming some sort of First Responder. 1998 saw Luoma become a paid volunteer EMT with the Two Harbors Ambulance, a position Luoma kept for about ten years.
In 2004, Luoma was hired by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office as a 911 Dispatcher/Corrections Officer. Luoma says that during his time in that position, “I was able to learn the different aspect of Emergency Services, where a slow shift could turn into chaos and now you were responsible for helping someone over the phone with what might be the worst moment of their life, making sure that those that are needed to ad- dress the situation have the correct information that is needed to keep all parties safe.” Also during that time, Luoma joined the Lake County Search and Rescue Squad, of which he was a member for approximately five years. A desire to do more led Luoma to attend Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College, and in 2009 he graduated with an Associates Degree in Law Enforcement, along with the Skills Certificate needed to become a Law Enforcement Officer in Minnesota.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office hired Luoma in 2010 as a County Service Officer, and later that year he was promoted to Deputy Sheriff. During his time as Deputy Sheriff, Luoma says he was fortunate enough to work in all three duty stations: Two Harbors, Silver Bay, and Section 30/Fall Lake. “This gave me the opportunity to interact with citizens and visitors across the whole county,” Luoma elaborates. In 2021, Luoma was promoted to Sergeant, and now serves as Chief Deputy.
Luoma chose to go into law enforcement after being involved in the emergency response field as a medical First Responder, and 911 Dispatcher/Corrections Officer. He thought that, “I could be able to utilize some of that experience in a different capacity.” Through working alongside other deputies and officers, he decided that “the challenge of being in law enforcement was worth the challenge.”
When asked about what he enjoyed most about law enforcement, Luoma said, “the interaction with all types of people from all walks of life. I like the challenges that are presented and the unknown of what each day will bring. I have found that for every bad situation, there tends to be that one call that you really did make a difference in someone’s life, even if they may not realize it at the time.”
As Chief Deputy, Luoma will be taking on an administrative role, versus the patrol role he served in as Sergeant. This new position will bring “new challenges and rewards.” He will still be out assisting and responding to calls as needed.
Luoma is looking forward to working with Sheriff Stadler to “continue moving the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in a positive direction into the future so those that live in and visit Lake County can have a safe and enjoyable experience.”
Thank you to all the law enforcement officers in Lake County for keeping us safe!
