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Buggs spent much of his first day on the job shadowing police chief Tony Schmitt and familiarizing himself with the area. Buggs came here from Lincoln, N.D., where he was the chief of a two-man police force.

Lincoln is similar in size to Paynesville, but since it is only five miles from Bismark a fair amount of city crime occurs during the weekends, he said. He hopes he won't encounter much of that here.

He thinks his biggest immediate challenge will be getting to know the area, especially since he will also work in Paynesville Township.

Buggs hails from Winona and studied law enforcement at Winona State University. He has over five years of law enforcement experience and worked as a police officer in Winona and Lewiston before moving to Lincoln.

While he was in North Dakota, he kept his Minnesota license current so it could be easily activated if he moved back to the state.

Chuck Buggs has over five years of law enforcement experience in Minnesota and North Dakota. He started last week as the newest police officer for Paynesville.

Buggs and his wife, Tricia, wanted to move back to Minnesota so they and their three-year-old daughter, Alayna, could be closer to their families. The job opening in Paynesville Ð the result of Schmitt's retirement at the end of May Ð was perfect for him, he thought.

So far, Buggs likes the Paynesville area and its people, but Tricia and Alayna won't be able to join him here until their home in Lincoln is sold.