Andreas Dietrich was recently named the new First Sergeant for Richmond and Scotland County by the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

Dietrich considers Richmond County to be a considerable part of his life.

“My home is here in Rockingham,” Dietrich said. “It was my first post.”

Dietrich has progressed through the ranks since beginning his career in 1995.

Before coming to Richmond County he worked in Scotland County as a line sergeant where he was assigned duties working over squads of troopers in the county.

Prior to working in Scotland County, he was posted to Highway Patrol offices all over the state and was promoted to sergeant in 2005. He was than assigned to Anson county in 2005 and the Winston-Salem office in 2006, where he served as a sergeant.

According to Dietrich, no definite plans to change or improve any aspect of the patrol office have been cemented, but Thursday was only his first official day in his office.

This new position will be a change of pace for him, as his duties changed and the style of work has changed, according to Dietrich.

“This new job is administrative in nature,” Dietrich said. “Right now, I’d like to maintain a working relationship with all the local departments in the county and in Scotland County,” Dietrich said.

A native of Kernersville, Dietrich graduated from UNC-Greensboro with a Bachelors of Science degree in economics and quickly began trooper training soon afterwards.

His first assigned post was to the Richmond County office in Hamlet in May 1995.

Mark Leach, former First Sergeant of the H2 District over Richmond and Scotland County, recently transferred to the Union County Highway Patrol office which was his hometown, according to Dietrich.

Leach took the job once the position was vacated.

Dietrich is currently living in Richmond County with his wife, who is a speech therapist, and their three children.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol’s primary mission is to reduce collisions and make the highways of North Carolina as safe as possible.

Since 1929 the mission of the Highway Patrol has not changed. From a handful of Highway Patrolmen in 1929 the Highway Patrol now employs 1,813 Troopers to cover more than 78,000 miles of North Carolina roadways.