By Rebecca Goldfine,Staff Writer

PARIS – Christopher Wainwright, a lieutenant with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, has announced he is entering the race for sheriff.

Lloyd “Skip” Herrick of Paris has announced he will retire at the end of this year.

Wainwright, who is running as a Republican, said he will keep the police force moving in the right direction while controlling the budget.

He will run against fellow Republican, Bethel Police Chief Alan Carr, in the June 13 primary. Two Democrats, Oxford County Lt. James Miclon and Wilton Police Chief Wayne Gallant, are also seeking the position.

The term is for four years and runs from Jan. 1, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2010. Wainwright said the time to announce a selection of a chief deputy is after the primary.

Herrick has been sheriff for 16 years and last spring announced he will not seek re-election in the Nov. 7, 2006, elections.

Wainwright, 34, grew up in Canton on a potato farm, he said Wednesday. He joined the Army Reserves when he was 17 for a six-year enlistment.

In 1990, Wainwright started his law enforcement career at the Sheriff’s Office and was promoted to corporal in 1993 and sergeant in 2000.

In 2002, he took a one-year leave of absence to serve as a United Nations peacekeeper in the Balkans, based in Kosovo. Wainwright said he worked in intelligence, investigating burglaries and thefts as well as missing-person cases and arms smuggling.

Wainwright said that he has never wanted to work anywhere but in Oxford County.

“This is who I am,” he said. “I’ve been with the Sheriff’s Office 15 years. I put this uniform on every day and wear it with pride.”

He said he’s compelled to serve, which has fueled his career in the Army, law enforcement and his participation on various community boards. “You either feel you need to do it or you don’t.”