The Newsleaders
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
    • 2021 Promotions
    • Pay Invoice
The Newsleaders
No Result
View All Result

PineCone Pet Hospital MillerCarlin Serving all of central Minnesota locations!

Albany: 320-845-2035
Holdingford: 320-746-9994
St. Cloud: 320-252-7004
Upsala: 320-573-6234
Toll-free: 1-800-644-4058
Collegeville Stearns Bank
Home Featured News

Soyka announces candidacy for sheriff job

August 7, 2018
in Featured News, News, Sartell – St. Stephen, St. Joseph
0
Soyka announces candidacy for sheriff job

contributed photo Steve Soyka

0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

(Three men have announced plans to run for Stearns County sheriff. Waite Park Police Chief Dave Bentrud was profiled in the Feb. 16 edition and Stearns County Lt. Robert Dickhaus was profiled in the Feb. 23 edition. Both stories are available at thenewsleaders.com.)

by Dennis Dalman

news@thenewsleaders.com

Sgt. Steve Soyka, a Stearns County Sheriff’s Department deputy, has announced his intention to seek the sheriff position in the Nov. 8 election, a decision that forces a primary election Aug. 14.

The primary election will determine which two of the three candidates will face off in the Nov. 8 general election.

Soyka announced his candidacy March 3. He’s the current team commander for the Stearns-Benton SWAT unit and former commander of the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force. He’s also a sergeant serving in the Stearns County Sheriff Patrol Division.

“(As sheriff), I will be much more community-oriented,” Soyka said. “I want to bring the sheriff’s office to the public. I want to talk to a lot of people, meet people, have coffee with people.”

Born and raised in Stearns County, Soyka graduated from St. Cloud Cathedral High School and from St. Cloud State University where he earned a degree in criminal justice.

He has been a law-enforcement employee for 27 years and served in a wide variety of duties, as well as volunteer work. For five of those years, he worked for the Benton County Sheriff’s Department.

“Since I was 15 years old, I’ve wanted to be the Stearns County Sheriff,” he said. “Now, after 27 years of protecting the people of Minnesota, I’m ready for the next step. I’m running for Stearns County Sheriff.”

Soyka is keen on four major goals – improving the safety of children, reducing drug abuse, getting violent criminals off the streets and the fight against sex-trafficking.

That, he said, cannot be accomplished without help from all county residents or without a mutual trust between law enforcement and the public.

Soyka also said public safety is dependent upon good, transparent communication between the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office and all other law-enforcement agencies in central Minnesota and beyond. Communication and collaboration is vital, he said, not just among law-enforcement but other agencies and with the residents of the county.

Soyka said law enforcement work has changed dramatically in the past 27 years since he first started his career. The brutal realities of new kinds of crimes have caused new focus for sheriff and police departments, such as the dangers of terrorism, the widespread increase in sex trafficking and the prevalence of drug use, including opiod abuse. Those problems require constant communication among law enforcement, other agencies and contact with the public, he said.

Soyka received the prestigious Stearns County Life-Saving Medal and was also awarded the Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police Grand Lodge Life-Saving Award.

He’s a longtime member and current vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Granite Lodge 17. One of his favorite activities is as a volunteer for the Stearns County Sheriff’s Explorer Program, which helps teach youth about law enforcement.

Soyka’s hobbies include golf, working on old cars, boating and spending time at his cabin in the Brainerd area. After living in St. Cloud for years, Soyka built a house just south of St. Stephen last year. He’s a member of the St. Stephen Catholic Church.

Soyka has two step-children who are his girlfriend Natalie’s children, Megan and Nolan, now in their 20s, and he has one step-grandchild, 2-year-old Abe, who is Megan’s son.

Soyka’s website is votesoykasheriff.com

Soyka
Previous Post

FoodShare month best time to give

Next Post

Center aims to end youth homelessness

Next Post
Center aims to end youth homelessness

Center aims to end youth homelessness

Please login to join discussion

CMCU Twitter Follow us on
Twitter
for the latest news!
Facebook Follow us on Facebook
for the latest news!
calendar Click here
to view our
calendar
of events!

Go Fund Me # 1 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Elizabeth Brunsvold
Cultural Connections
Jim Berg & Mary Kruger
Mary & John Davis
Sandy Denne
Bobbi & David Gouker
James & marry Graeve
Juliana Howard
Julia Joplin
Linda Kmitch
M. Molus
Sheila Nahan
Go Fund Me # 2 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!

Peggy & Michael Roske
Judy Scheuerell
Geraldine Schwab
James Stotko
James Towler
Anna Trobec
Kaye Wenker
Ellen Wahlstrom
Leona Wieland
Jeanie Wilkens
GAGEN & VASUGI RAMANATHAN
Go Fund Me # 3 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Nicole Borg
Erica Karger-Gatzow
Dane & Lori Listug-Lunde
Nadine Martin
Doris Minnerath
Merry Mund
Marilyn Peitso
Stephen Schwanke
Dianne Tuff
Dale Zacher
Private Donors

Search

No Result
View All Result

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Funeral for Marilyn ‘Lynn’ P. Borgert, 86 & Eugene ‘Gene’ J. Borgert, 89
  • 6 candidates selected for Sartell-St. Stephen superintendent
  • Kluesner appointed to St. Joseph City Council
  • Wood sentenced for killing two children
  • A list of school superintendent finalists expected March 1

City Links

Sartell
St. Joseph
St. Stephen

School District Links

Sartell-St. Stephen school district
St. Cloud school district

Chamber Links

Sartell Chamber
St. Joseph Chamber

Community

Calendar

Citizen Spotlight

Criers

People

Notices

Funerals/Visitions

Obituary

Police Blotter

Public Notices

Support Groups

About Us

Contact Us

News Tips

Submissions

Advertise With Us

Print Advertising

Digital Advertising

2021 Promotions

Local Advertising Rates

National Advertising Rates

© 2021 Newleaders

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
    • 2021 Promotions
    • Pay Invoice

© 2021 Newleaders

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In