As of March 1, the town of Wadesboro will have a new police chief.

Town Manager John Witherspoon announced Monday morning that he has hired Janie Schutz to fill the position left vacant when former chief Vance Johnson resigned in August to become police chief in Wendell.

In the meantime, Lt. Thedis Spencer has been filing in as interim chief. "He did a great job for us, as he always does," Witherspoon said. "We're very fortunate to have Lt. Spencer."

Most recently, Schutz worked for the N.C. Department of Justice as an instructor/coordinator for the N.C. Justice Academy, which is known statewide as the premier training facility for North Carolina's certified law enforcement officers. Prior to that, she was a detective sergeant with the Lake Lure Police Department, and developed and was placed in charge of the Field Training Program and in-service training program. She has also served as an agent for the N.C. Department of Revenue, in the Unauthorized Substance Department, helping law enforcement agencies fight narcotics and other illegal drugs.

Originally from Wisconsin, Schutz and her family moved to North Carolina in 1994. After graduating from the top of her Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) class at Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton, she served with the Marion Police Department. She was the director of the BLET program at Isothermal Community College in Rutherfordton from 1996-1998. After rejoining the Marion Police Department in 1998, Schutz wrote departmental policy, and revised the BLET instruction of domestic violence response, which is now used throughout the state as the model of officer response.

Witherspoon said Schutz's experience as a trainer was what stood out in his mind the most. "You have to admire her experience and intelligence," he said. "She's not only a beat cop but one that has excelled as a trainer of other police, too."

Schutz, 51, is married to Dr. Jeff Schutz of Foothills Mobile Veterinary Service based in Morganton. They have six children— Danielle, Gregory, Stephanie, Kelly, Timothy and Steven.

Schutz stated that she is very honored to have been selected as the new police chief for Wadesboro and is looking forward to meeting everyone.