SHERIFF UNGER’S WELCOME MESSAGE:
I would like to welcome you to the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office web site and truly hope you will find any information you are looking for. I would like to thank you for your interest in this office and hope we can satisfy any of your interest or questions you may have. We always strive try to serve the needs of all the citizens and visitors of Stanton County and look forward to helping everyone. Please feel free to contact me at anytime with any concerns or questions.
Mike Unger
Stanton County Sheriff
Sheriff Mike Unger has been serving in law enforcement since 1981 when he began his law enforcement career in the U.S. Army Military Police Corp serving during the Cold War in West Germany. Highlights include receiving an Army Commendation Medal for saving the life of a 12 year old accident victim and commendations for actions actively fighting terrorist acts (bombings/shootings) against military personnel committed by the infamous Bader-Meinhof Faction and Red Army terrorist groups against U.S. military personnel in the Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Berlin military community. Unger also earned a U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal, Cold War Service Medal and Overseas Service Medal. After his honorable discharge from the military, Mike continued his law enforcement career in his hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska, where he received several letters of commendation for his actions as a police officer. He later briefly served with the Schuyler and Stanton Police Departments, before finding his home with the Stanton County Sheriff’s office in 1987 as a Deputy Sheriff. After two years he was promoted to Chief Deputy Sheriff by then Sheriff Norman Lehman and upon Lehman’s retirement in 1993, Mike was appointed as the new Stanton County Sheriff by the Stanton County Board of Commissioners with the full endorsement of Sheriff Lehman. Sheriff Unger has been re-elected every four years since. During that time the Sheriff’s office roster has grown in size due to contracting law enforcement services in Stanton and the increasing activity and work load throughout the entire county and our close proximity to the Norfolk metro area.
Sheriff Unger has been involved in EMS for more than 35 years and is a former member of Stanton Rescue where he was a member and long time captain for more than 20 years. along with being a current EMT with Pilger Fire and Rescue. Mike has also been recognized five times for life saving efforts as an Emergency Medical Technician and also the successful delivery of a baby girl at a rural residence and he also was named as the Stanton EMT of the year four times in his 26 years with Stanton Rescue. Sheriff Unger continues to serve as a licensed EMT when and wherever needed. Sheriff Unger has a college degree in Criminal Justice and has more than 2700 hours of continuing education credits with an emphasis of his training in Death and Crime Scene Investigation. Sheriff Unger also previously taught the successful Drug Abuse Resistance Education program in Stanton County Schools for fifteen years and graduated more than 800 6th graders from the drug prevention class. Sheriff Unger has continued to teach drug education classes to sixth graders at the Stanton Community schools as needed. Sheriff Unger previously served on the Northeast College Criminal Justice Advisory Board and is the former President of the Northeast Nebraska Peace Officers Assn. Sheriff Unger has been recognized three times by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) as a Nebraska Officer of the Year in 2007, 2018 and again in 2021 for his efforts in alcohol education and enforcement. Sheriff Unger was also recognized for his leadership efforts and Incident Command role following the June 2014 Tornadoes that devastated Pilger and other parts of rural Stanton County leaving two dead and more than 20 others injured. Sheriff Unger was also a finalist for the Nebraska Legion Police Officer of the Year in 2017.
Mike is married to Kris who serves as the Stanton County Deputy County Clerk and they have four daughters; Sara, Whitney, Samantha and Becca and two sons. Nick and Adam (Deceased), along with eleven grandchildren. Eldest child, Sara, works as a restaurant manager in Norfolk, and she and her husband Brian Harbottle are the parents of Hunter and Harper. Whitney is an RN-Midwife in Des Moines, IA and is married to Josh Suckstorf and they are parents to Jayden, Blake, Myles and Maci. Samantha, is also an R.N. in the Sioux City area and is married to Josh Bennett, and they have two daughters Briah and Kinsley. Nick lives near Clarkson and is involved in the Ag industry and is married to Michelle and they have a sons Kylo, Vonn and new daughter Berkley. The youngest daughter, Becca is a licensed Mortician and works for a large funeral home in Omaha and recently became Mrs. Ross Wintz. Sheriff Unger has successfully been re-elected as Sheriff since 1993 including in the 2022 contested primary election and looks forward to continuing his service as the Stanton County Sheriff as he has over the last five decades.