By Emma Rausch
LAFONTAINE – Since 1989, Paul Karst served the Town of LaFontaine as its marshal. Now, after 31 years, he has retired his post.
In 1985, Karst wanted to give back to the community he grew up in and loved.
“I started as a deputy marshal under Denny Jones and I did that for about four years,” he told The Paper of Wabash County after his retirement party on Saturday, Aug. 20. “I started as official town marshal in 1989. I’ve wanted to be in law enforcement since early on in high school … and this position became available as a deputy marshal.
“It’s my community and I fell in love with it and opportunity came to be fulltime marshal and it seemed like a good fit. … Law enforcement is about giving back and being available.”
Now, it’s finally time to retire and move forward, according to Karst.
“Thirty-one years is a long time and the environment has changed in some respect,” he said. “It’s just another ideology and I had the opportunity to take a position with another department and we just feel like it’s where God’s led us on the next journey.
“So we’re just going on faith that this is what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Karst has accepted a position with Parkview Health.
Although he retired his marshal title, Karst and his family aren’t going anywhere.
“I’ve had a couple of people ask me where we were moving to and I said, ‘My next move will be either across the highway, which is the cemetery, or the nursing home,’” Karst joked, “but no. We’ll be here.”
“Paul puts his roots down deep,” wife Sherri Karst added.
The Karsts officially announced the Marshal’s retirement at the Aug. 8 LaFontaine Town Council meeting.
“For over 31 years, I have watched my husband serve the townspeople of LaFontaine, a job he approached with full sincerity, much professionalism and complete loyalty,” Mrs. Karst told the council, reading a letter she had prepared. “From the moment he was entrusted with the town’s welfare, he was all-in.
“LaFontaine didn’t just get his presence but his heart, mind and spirit of commitment as well.”
Mrs. Karst told The Paper she felt compelled to write the letter, which expressed her love for her husband and his compassion for their community.
“We’ve been married for 35 years and he’s had this job for 31 years, so it’s been a part of our family all this time,” she said. “It’s like the family is leaving the job too.”
In the early years, Mrs. Karst acted as her husband’s personal dispatcher when “the police phone was a landline” and she had to radio Karst with the message.
Just as any career, Karst’s time as town marshal has had its ups and downs, with more ups than there ever were downs.
“It’s been a good life,” Mrs. Karst said. “God has been good to us. He’s just opened up the doors and equipped us with what we’ve needed.”
However, Karst told The Paper his success as marshal would not have been possible with his family’s support and his mentors, Duane Larsh and Jones.
“Any measure of success that I had in this job,” he said, “a lot of it has to do with the love and support that comes from my wife, Sherri, and my family and the sacrifices that they had to make from time to time.”
As town marshal, Karst said he was able to help his community on a whole different level, one that was closer and more relatable.
“There’s been some serious incidents where complaints have happened and, because of the closeness of the community and you know those people well, it’s much more impacting,” he said. “You get the job done, you reflect on it later and it may be a little tougher because of the people are involved on more of a personal level than what’d you see in a big city.
“They’re your neighbors. You’re living and breathing with them every day and you try to take a different approach than you would normally take with situations.”
On occasion, his ability to build relationships has also saved lives.
In 1994, Karst was contacted by Grant County law enforcement about a canoe that had overturned in the Mississinewa Reservoir. Two people were at risk of drowning.
After some quick thinking, Karst called his neighbor Sgt. Jeff Etheridge, who was an Indiana State Police officer and certified diver.
“He did the rescue. I was just there holding the rope for him,” Karst said with a smile. “That rescued two people that could have potentially drowned. … If he hadn’t been there that quick from him living so close, I’m not sure what the outcome would have been.”
Etheridge would not have known to be en route with his dive equipment if Karst had not known to call him in the first place.
The story was later picked up by the television series “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol”
Other memorable moments involved helping children.
Before LaFontaine Elementary closed down, Karst spoke to the students about safety such as wearing helmets when riding bicycles.
Karst watched over both the kids and adults alike in his community “with as much neighborly compassion that enforcing the law allows,” according to Mrs. Karst.
“The Marshal that I know has sat on the curb next to a troubled and trouble-making youth, trying to guide them down a better path,” Mrs. Karst said.
“Paul often told me that being a town marshal is a different type of police work because ‘these are your neighbors you are dealing with.’ It’s like a family.”
Over the last 31 years, Karst gained some knowledge that only experience teaches and lost some hairs along the way, she continued.
“He has never lost his sincerity, professionalism or loyalty to the job you have entrusted him to do,” Mrs. Karst said. “This is the Marshal that I know and I am honored to say that my vantage point has been the best seat in the house.”