PEORIA, Ill. — The now-former Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell resigned from his position effective Friday morning, July 8, according to a Facebook post from the sheriff's office.
Asbell's career with the sheriff's office began in 1995. He served as a corrections officer, corrections sergeant, patrol deputy, detective, jail superintendent and undersheriff in the county prior to being appointed to sheriff in August 2017.
"I will forever cherish the accomplishments made and the relationships built during this time (with the sheriff's office)," Asbell wrote in his resignation letter. "However, the last couple of years have taken a toll on both me and my family and I just don't have 'much gas left in the tank.''
Asbell is also a military veteran, having served in both the U.S. Army and Illinois National Guard. Combined with his time at the sheriff's office, he has spent over 31 years in public service.
"I will be the first to say there are things I could have done better, but please know I gave you all I had and did the best I could do trying to navigate the unprecedented hardships of the past several years," Asbell wrote in his letter. "The future of law enforcement, corrections and other pillars of the criminal justice system will continue to face adversity and complex staffing issues."
Undersheriff Christopher Watkins assumed all duties and responsibilities of the sheriff at 11 a.m. Friday. He will continue to fill the role until the Peoria County Board makes a formal appointment.
Asbell, in his resignation letter, said his reasoning for leaving the sheriff's office at this time was that major operational and budget decisions with multiyear implications on the future of the office will need to be made over the next few months.
"The new leadership team of Chris Watkins needs to make these decisions, not me," he wrote. "Therefore, I believe it is both necessary and proper to exit now and allow the future administration to decide upon these impactful, consequential matters at hand."
