Mower County Deputy retires after 30 years
Published 10:51 am Thursday, January 30, 2014
Sheriff Terese Amazi stands with her newest deputy, Brady Muelken, center, and her longtime partner on the force, Barry Reburn. Reburn retired on Wednesday after 30 years with the Mower County Sheriff’s Office. — Matt Peterson
This time, Barry Reburn says it’s official.
The veteran deputy retired on Wednesday. It was a move he had previously tried, but one that didn’t stick. Reburn has been a pillar in Mower County law enforcement, as he spent his entire career with the Mower County Sheriff’s Office.
“I tried to open that door two years ago,” Reburn said about retirement.
He gets plenty of guff for that previous decision. At that point, Reburn had put in 28 years, but he opted to stay for the full 30.
“So now I’ve got my 30 years,” he said on Wednesday, as the sheriff’s office held a retirement party in his honor.
For Reburn, it all started in 1983. Reburn, originally from Harmony, Minn., accepted his first-ever law enforcement job as a Mower County Sheriff’s deputy and never looked anywhere else.
The area suited him and his family well, as Reburn has remained in LeRoy.
In 30 years, Reburn has seen everything from horrible to downright awkward.
“Every day is different,” he said.
Of course, working any scenes where people died was the worst, he said.
On the other hand, this line of work has offered plenty of irony, as well. Reburn has been the use-of-force instructor since 1997, but it was he who once broke his ankle during training exercises. Reburn has seen more on patrol.
“I got rear-ended by a drunk once,” he said. “It rattled my cage.”
Barry Reburn cuts cake at his retirement party after 30 years with the Mower County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Terese Amazi, who has worked with Reburn for 26 years, commended the longtime deputy’s style of work.
“You always knew when he called for backup, he really needed it,” she said, “because he could talk anybody out of anything.”
As Reburn thought about retirement Wednesday, and spending more time with his grandchildren, another man was experiencing what Reburn did 30 years ago. Amazi pinned the badge on his uniform, and it was officially a good day for two people. Brady Muelken became the newest deputy in Mower County.
“I’m excited to start,” Muelken said, “and serve the county as best I can.”
Muelken, originally from Prior Lake, was recently a sergeant at the Mower County jail.
“It made the transition a lot easier,” he said.
From working in that capacity, he already knew his fellow deputies. He’s ready for patrol.
