South Daytona, FL - Six finalists remain in the running for South Daytona's police chief.
Back in April of 2018, South Daytona Police Chief Ron Wright stepped down from his position amidst a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation.
The investigative summary from FDLE shows that back in February of that year, Chief Wright withheld evidence in a case regarding his daughter's boyfriend.
Now, a year later, six candidates remain as finalists in the search to fill his spot.
One of those candidates, Captain Mark Cheatham, worked with Wright and was the acting police chief for South Daytona after Wright left until former Port Orange police chief Gerald Monahan took over as the interim.
Cheatham got his start in law enforcement working as a patrolman for the South Daytona Police Department in 1997. In 2000, Cheatham worked as a detective with SDPD for four years, before he rejoined the patrol division in 2004.
Since then, Cheatham worked his way through the ranks to become a Captain with South Daytona police.
Cheatham isn't the only local choice, however. One of the other men up for the position includes Captain Eric Dietrich, who has over 20 years experience in the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
Dietrich, a graduate of the FBI National Academy, got his start with VCSO in 1994. In 1995, he became an operative with the VCSO SWAT Team, eventually making his way up to SWAT Team Commander in 2006.
Between January 2011 and 2012, Dietrich served as the Commander of VCSO's District 6 and the Police Chief for DeBary. Dietrich also served as Chief Deputy under Sheriff Ben Johnson.
In 2016, Dietrich ran for Volusia County Sheriff but was beat out by Sheriff Mike Chitwood. The Sheriff has since officially endorsed Dietrich for this job.
One other Florida candidate exists: Stephen McCosker, another FBI National Academy graduate, who currently serves as the Deputy Chief for Ocoee. He's been there since 1992.
The three other candidates all come from out of state and include:
Candidates will participate in an assessment scheduled for May 8th through May 10th. The assessment will include a city tour, interviews and a public meet and greet scheduled for May 9th.
Final interviews will be held with City Manager Les Gillis on May 10th.
