On Wednesday, May 27, 2020, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell congratulated, and hired the three newest deputies of the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.

Steven Leaird, Isaac Creasy, and Betsey Velazquez were chosen through the newest hiring initiative at the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office the, “Deputy Sheriff Candidate Program”.

Sheriff Campbell said, “The original thought process in this program was to be able to give the best candidates an opportunity to get into law enforcement as a profession who may otherwise may not be able to due to family, work or school obligations. We originally planned to hire two people, but with the number of extremely qualified people who applied, I made the decision to send four through this new program. Law enforcement agencies in this area, as well as across the state, are searching for qualified applicants, and we must compete with these agencies for a limited pool of applicants, by hiring these three new employees, we hope to establish this process as the new way we hire people as numbers allow. These candidates were impressive. As part of our continued commitment to our detention center employees who would like to continue their training to become sworn deputies, an employee from the detention center will attend this class.

Steven Leaird is a 2018 graduate from the Visual & Performing Arts Early College High School. He earned his Associate’s Degree in Pre-Major Criminal Justice. Steven is currently perusing dual Majors at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in Criminal Justice and Sociology. Steven was working as an Operations Manager at a local business.

Isaac Creasy is a 2018 graduate of North Iredell High School. He earned an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice Technology from Wilkes Community College. Isaac was working for a local construction company.

Betsy Velazquez is a 2015 graduate from North Iredell High School. She earned an Associate’s Degree from Mitchell Community College in Criminal Justice Technology. Betsy is also serving in the North Carolina Army National Guard. She was working at a local restaurant.

Detention Officer Nicholas Jared Wheeler is a 2011 graduate from Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island. Nicholas was employed at the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office Detention Officer in 2018. Nicholas was promoted to rank of Corporal in February of 2020.

Pictured from left to right: Steven Leaird, Isaac Creasy, Betsy Velazquez, and Sheriff Campbell.