Barnstable Police Chief Sonnabend Retires, Challies Named Provisional Chief

HYANNIS – Six years since the last changeover, there will be a new police chief in Barnstable.

The town has confirmed that Matthew Sonnabend retired on January 29th.

Jean Challies, the deputy chief of police since March of 2020, was appointed provisional chief and has the full authority to act as Barnstable police chief, according to an email from Barnstable’s director of communications Lynne Poyant.

Challies has been with the BPD for 22 years. Barnstable will conduct a search for a permanent replacement.

Sonnabend was placed on medical leave last September, and no further details have been provided by town officials on the matter since then. He was the deputy chief before taking the chief’s job in 2018 when Paul McDonald retired.