LOVINGTON, N.M. (AP) - There's a new sheriff in a southeastern New Mexico county.
Lea County Sheriff Byron Wester took the oath of office Monday. The former commander of the Lea County Drug Task Force was picked over seven other applicants to replace Sheriff Steve Ackerman, who died Jan. 17 in a rollover crash.
Wester's appointment will complete the last two years of Ackerman's four-year term. He will then be eligible to run for election in 2018.
Wester says he doesn't plan any major changes at the department, though he's waiting to name someone to his old position until he has time to settle in.
