Charlie Poff, the first superintendent of the Western Virginia Regional Jail and one of the key planners of that project, is resigning to become chief deputy for new Roanoke County Sheriff Mike Winston.

Poff, named the jail's superintendent in July 2006, said he will stay in his current job until April 1 to give the jail's board time to begin a search for a replacement.

"It's been a good journey. We got the jail up and running. It's been a wonderful challenge, and I'm not leaving it," he said.

Winston, appointed upon the resignation of longtime Sheriff Gerald Holt, will have to win a special election in November to keep his new title.

Winston officially took office Monday.

Poff, 58, worked with Winston under Holt, who has been nominated as the new U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Virginia.

Poff, who has more than three decades of law-enforcement experience, said he will take "a small pay cut" in the move.

-- Cody Lowe