Rick Bekesy of the Penn Forest Township area of Jim Thorpe has announced his candidacy for the GOP nomination for the position of Carbon County Sheriff in the May primary election.

Bekesy has 24 years of experience in the field of law enforcement. He worked with the Carbon County Sheriff's Office from 1992 to 1997 and has served as a police officer since 2000. In 1997, he took a supervisory position in the maintenance department at the Carbon County Correctional Facility. He currently works with the Tamaqua Borough Police Department, a position he has held since 2005, and was with the Rush Township Police Department for several years.After graduating from the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Academy in 1992, with certification, he attended the Lackawanna Police Academy, graduating with certification in 1998.Active with the Pennsylvania Aggressive Driver Campaign since 2005, he received awards from the state highway safety program in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. The program is designed to reduce traffic fatalities on state highways.In 2007, Bekesy became a certified instructor for the 16 Minutes Program, taught in high schools. The program is designed to reach students before they apply for a learner's permit, helping them become safe and responsible drivers by explaining traffic laws, seat belt safety and related issues.In 2009, he received a certificate from the Pennsylvania State Police for training in drug interdiction beyond the vehicle stop. He also received a highway safety award from the Tamaqua Police Department in 2014 and designed and taught a senior citizens' fraud detection program in Tamaqua.A small-business owner, Bekesy is a member of the Mauch Chunk Gun Club, the Jim Thorpe American Legion Post 304 and the Schuylkill Carbon Lodge 13, Fraternal Order of Police.