Contributed WISHING WELL – Gov. Jim Justice, left, presents retiring Homeland Security Secretary Jeff Sandy on Wednesday with the Distinguished West Virginian Award. Sandy, among Justice’s original appointees seven years ago, is retiring July 31 and will be succeeded by Putnam County Prosecutor Mark Sorsaia. -- Contributed

PARKERSBURG — Jeff Sandy, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security will retire and will be succeeded by Mark A. Sorsaia, the prosecuting attorney of Putnam County, Gov. Jim Justice announced during his weekly virtual briefing Wednesday.

The retirement is effective July 31.

“I absolutely want everyone to know if Jeff Sandy wants to stay and everything, he’s welcome to stay here until my term is up,” Justice said. “He has done a great, great, great job.”

Sandy said he will continue with forensic accounting with Perry Forensics, a subsidiary of Perry and Associates CPAs.

“I plan to continue to help people by doing the forensic accounting work and help victims of fraud,” he said.

Sandy cited the accomplishments in the department over the last six years in his letter announcing his retirement.

Among those was a decrease in violent crime of nearly 28% from 2016 to 2021, reorganization of the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety as the Department of Homeland Security in 2020 and the consolidation of the jails, prison and juvenile centers into a single unit. Body scanners in prisons have saved numerous lives and the mail scanners have reduced drugs going into correctional facilities, he said.

But the pandemic was a difficult time for the department and the more than 5,300 employees, he said.

“COVID changed the world,” Sandy said.

Sandy was among Justice’s first appointees in his first term of office. He is a 1976 graduate of Parkersburg High School and a 1979 graduate of Marshall University.

He served as Wood County Sheriff, was an investigator with the Department of the Treasury, participated in numbers state and federal drug investigations, is a recognized expert in money laundering and worked on counter-terrorism efforts.

Sorsaia will become secretary on Aug. 1, Justice said.

“I think Mark will do a great job in that role,” Justice said.

Sandy also received the Distinguished West Virginian Award from Justice on Wednesday.

“It was a very nice event,” Sandy said.

In other business, Heather Abbott will succeed Josh Spence as chief information officer and Jack Chambers was named the superintendent of the West Virginia State Police.

Chambers, who was appointed interim superintendent in March, replaced Jan Cahill, who resigned after it came to light that cameras were placed in the women’s locker room at the State Police Academy and money was stolen by two troopers from a patron at the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Nitro and the troopers were not fired, among other revelations.