Sampsel to Seek Re-election as Centre County Sheriff

Centre County Sheriff Bryan Sampsel will run for a second term in this year’s election.

A Bellefonte resident, Sampsel will seek the Republican nomination in the May 21 primary. Before being elected to the post in 2015, Sampsel worked in the sheriff’s office for more than 12 years as an officer and sergeant.

“I would again like to thank all the voters of Centre County who gave me the opportunity and privilege to serve as your sheriff,’ Sampsel said in his re-election announcement. ‘I’m asking for your  support and trust to continue to serve as your sheriff of Centre County.”

Sampsel is a 1988 Bellefonte High School graduate who attended Penn State before enlisting and serving in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He began his career in the sheriff’s office in 2003 after working at the Corning Asahi plant for nine years until its closure.

The sheriff is the county’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer, with the office’s main priority serving the Court of Common Pleas. The sheriff’s office has multiple functions, including service of civil process, warrants and inmate transports. It also provides security for the Centre County Courthouse, county-owned buildings and University Park Airport; serves eviction, protection from abuse and custody orders; conduct sheriff’s sales; issues licenses to carry firearms; enforces motor vehicle violations; and supports other law enforcement agencies, among other duties.

Sampsel and his wife, Ruth, have two children and are members of Faith United Methodist Church and the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association.