Henry County Sheriff Jim Padilla announced his resignation from the department May 28th during a Henry County Board meeting.
Captain Kerry Loncka took over the Sheriff duties on an interim basis, and has since naturally taken over the department as the full-time sheriff.
Born and raised in Kewanee Illinois, Loncka studied Criminal Justice at the University of Dubuque and eventually came on as a correctional officer and dispatcher for the Henry County Sheriff in 1990.
After attending the University of Illinois Police Academy in 1995, Loncka steadily rose through the ranks becoming Lieutenant in Investigations and eventually a Supervisor of Investigations for the Henry County Sheriff and the Illinois State Police in 2010.
Loncka became Captain of the Henry County Sheriff’s Department in 2014.
Now as Henry County Sheriff, Loncka tells WGIL that Padilla paved the way in many ways: from practicing transparency, keeping lines of communication open, and above all, listening.
Although Sheriff Loncka is well aware of some of the challenges and obstacles the Henry County Sheriff Department faces, he says he’s humbled and honored to be working with a team that’s dedicated to serve the public.
