Napa County was one of the original 27 counties established in 1850. The county lines changed several times before settling on its current boundaries, which consist of 794 square miles. Our first Sheriff was Nathaniel McKimmey, who was elected Sheriff of Napa County in 1853, and the entire County population at the time was estimated to be 450 people. The first known lynching in Napa County occurred during Sheriff McKimmey's first year on the job.
Duties
The Sheriff's Office has historically performed various duties mainly consisting of Patrol, Court Security, Custody, Civil Process and presiding over executions. Napa County was the site of the last public execution in California. This occurred in 1897 when William Rowe was hung for the murder of Lucina Greenwood.
Sheriffs
Since Napa County was formed, there have been twenty-eight elected Sheriffs. The Office of the Coroner was separate until Sheriff Stewart's term, at which time it was merged with the Office of the Sheriff. Our current Sheriff/Coroner is Sheriff John R. Robertson, who was first appointed in April 2012 and won reelection in 2014.