Branigann Stalder, right, takes the oath of office, which was administered by Sheriff Neil Miller, left, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The latest deputy with the Buffalo County Sheriff’s office took to oath of office during the Buffalo County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, May 27.
Sheriff Neil Miller said that Branigann Stalder was born in Kearney to Annessa and Brett Stadler. The family has deep roots in Nebraska with most of his family originating in the Gibbon area and a Lowell area family farm where he spent most of his childhood.
Stalder attended school in Kearney through his freshman year before moving to Minnesota to pursue hockey in the Minnesota high school league. Stalder would sign with a team in Bozeman, Mont., competing in the North American Hockey League.
Following a season in Montana, Stalder decided to follow his lifelong passion for public service to pursue a career in law enforcement. Miller said that Stalder returned to Kearney in December 2023 and began working as a corrections officer for the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office.
Miller also noted that Stalder is a legacy deputy, as one of his uncle’s served as a deputy’s sheriff in the 1970s.
After his mother, Annessa, pinned his badge, Stalder took the oath of office, which was administered by Miller.
