Sheriff candidate talks about clearing his name

Steve Pankey, who made headlines last year for being under investigation in the cold-case of a 12-year-old girl that was murdered in Colorado, is now running for this year’s Twin Falls County Sheriff.

Pankey said his main concern is public safety, adding he wants to restore local law.

The Republican admitted it is a unique situation after being a person of interest in the kidnapping and killing of Jonelle Matthews in Dec. 1984.

KMVT reported Mathews' remains where found last July in Weld County, Colorado -- 35 years later.

Police labeled the case as a homicide investigation and sent a SWAT team to search Pankey's home on Elm Street.

He said they seized his electronic devices and financial documents.

Overall, the candidate said he wants to be the voice of those who have been falsely accused, just like he claimed to be.

"There needs to be a national conversation; there needs to be a redoing of the way the criminal investigations are happening," Pankey said, " Just smearing people is not normal."

Pankey, has had a total of twenty "arbitrary" misdemeanors, such as battery and harassment, and one felony.

However, he is not convicted for any.

Pankey told KMVT he realizes he needs more credibility after last year's investigation.

This isn't Pankey's first time running for office. He ran for the Lincoln County Sheriff in 2008, and was a Constitution Party Gubernatorial nominee in 2014 and ran for Idaho's governor in 2018.

He has yet to win a race.