By Tim Eberly
Only two candidates remain in the running for the job of Hill County sheriff and coroner, which became vacant when Tim Solomon retired on Nov. 30.
Four men applied for the job before the Nov. 30 deadline, and Hill County commissioners decided to bring in only three of the prospects for interviews.
A man with no experience in law enforcement, Havre resident William Cowan, was screened from the interview process.
On the morning of his scheduled 10 a.m. phone interview Monday, former Havre police officer Gene Harada withdrew his application for "personal reasons," said Hill County Commissioner Pat Conway.
The two prospects remaining, longtime Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Greg Szudera and Colorado resident Paul Nagel, who has worked as a sheriff's deputy, police officer and U.S. Air Force investigator, have already been interviewed and will likely receive the commissioners' decision early next week.
"It probably would have been sooner but (the other commissioners) left for a workshop for the rest of the week," Conway said. "We'll just have to wait until they get back and then we'll discuss the two candidates."
