Sheriff returns to council for more deputies

Sheriff Tom Kleinhelter appeared before the Dubois County Council requesting reconsideration of two deputy positions previously created by county commissioners but not funded in the 2026 budget.

The positions would focus on investigating violations of the sex offender registry and participating in the Internet Crimes Against Children task force, according to the sheriff.

“Having those two positions created will allow us to adequately investigate crimes against the sex offender registry and also belong to the somewhat newly formed task force from the Indiana State Police called the Internet Crimes Against Children,” Kleinhelter told council members.

In 2023, Jasper and the Dubois County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced they had completed training and would be working with ICAC to investigate reports of internet-based crimes against children. Huntingburg and Ferdinand have since also attended the training.

He explained that if funded, he would move experienced officers into the positions and hire new road deputies.

The sheriff brought Detective Sergeant Wade Pierce to help explain the ICAC task force and the need in the county.

Pierce described the current caseload as approximately 17 to 20 cases needing investigation across participating departments, including Jasper, Huntingburg, the prosecutor’s office and Ferdinand. He explained that the deputy filling that role in the sheriff’s office would work with the other county departments on these types of crimes.

The law enforcement efforts are designed to proactively prevent individuals from taking their digital perversions from the virtual world into the real world and harming children.

“This is one of those situations where it’s much easier to prosecute than child molestation, because we have physical evidence, because we have things on devices and things like that that we can actually take to trial,” Pierce explained. “We have a chance to stop something before it gets to that point.”

Regarding the office dedicated to the sex registry, Kleinhelter, who wants an officer dedicated to handling the registry, explained that sex offender registry compliance requires dedicated attention due to varying requirements for different offenders. Some must register every 30 days, others every 60 days, with different stipulations for each case.

“We are not adequately investigating the sex offender violations of the sex offender registry,” Kleinhelter said. “Having numerous people involved in that is just not feasible. So we’re kind of piecing it together to do the best we can. But I know that there’s some that are slipping through the cracks.”

Pierce detailed the administrative burden of tracking registered offenders, including monthly verification visits to confirm addresses and employment. The department currently handles this responsibility with limited resources while managing regular patrol duties.

“It takes one person to really be able to concentrate on that type of work,” Pierce said. “We’re constantly getting calls. So and so has moved in here. I know they’re on the sex offender list. Can they live here because it’s within this many feet of the school or it’s next to the daycare.”

He explained that officers spend time researching these requests, and though an administrative person was helpful, that person did not have the power to file charges in cases involving violations.

Council members questioned the sheriff about current staffing levels and organizational structure. Councilman Ryan Craig cited FBI data recommending ratios of 1 officer per 1,000 to 1,600 residents for populations between 50,000 and 250,000. He said the city populations were growing faster than the county’s, and that between the Jasper Police Department and the sheriff’s office, there were 45 to 50 officers. Enough to cover the whole county.

“I’ve not really seen the data that we are out of line on officers,” he said.

Kleinhelter acknowledged the numbers but emphasized jurisdictional limitations — Huntingburg, Ferdinand, and Jasper officers wouldn’t likely respond to a call outside their jurisdictions unless there was a direct need. He explained that Jasper’s mayor probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he directed a Jasper officer to an incident in Cuzco.

“If we combined our police departments, yeah, I believe you are right. One hundred percent. I believe we are heavy, but we don’t have the luxury of doing that,” Kleinhelter said.

He explained that there were many instances in which his deputies responded to a call and were then needed for another call in a different part of the county.

“I can’t begin to tell you how many times we’ve had two officers in one location at an accident or something like that, and one of them has to break away to respond to a domestic situation,” he said.

Council members expressed support for protecting children but requested additional documentation before making funding decisions. They asked for organizational charts showing position duties, qualifications for advancement, and detailed cost breakdowns, including vehicles and equipment.

“I think children, we definitely need to protect them. That was no question in my mind,” said Councilwoman Deena Lewis. “When you were speaking about the sex offender registry, a lot of what you described there is a lot of administrative work that goes into that background.”

She stated she didn’t see the need to dedicate one officer to the registry.

Lewis asked if there were any other grants available to assist in the positions.

Regarding grant funding, Kleinhelter reported that the department had been denied COPS grants twice. He said he could look into reapplying, but noted that it is an expensive process.

Councilman Alex Hohl said he supported the sheriff’s request. “I think if we would vote for one or maybe two officers, and we could reduce one case of child exploitation, I would feel great doing that,” he said.

Kleinhelter agreed, saying that is exactly what the task force is designed to do.

Council President Mike Kluesner said the minutes and the ordinance passed by the commissioners supporting the positions were confusing. During the July 3, 2023, meeting, the discussion focused on creating the two positions, but the commissioners then passed a motion to create the positions if the grant provided partial funding.

Craig requested that the sheriff ask the commissioners to “clean up” their decision regarding the positions before moving forward.

Ultimately, the council did not take action on the staffing request but instead asked the sheriff to provide additional documentation, including organizational charts, position costs, and equipment needs. They plan to consider the request alongside a broader wage study they are commissioning to evaluate county employee compensation and organizational structure.

Council members also discussed the department’s certified instructor positions, which provide additional pay for deputies qualified to train others in defensive tactics, firearms, emergency vehicle operations and other required skills. The sheriff explained that these certifications help the department meet state-mandated training requirements while keeping costs local.

“It’s super beneficial to have your own instructors in house because there’s always times of the year where somebody can’t make it to this training,” Pierce said.

The council also quizzed the sheriff on expenditures listed in the jail commissary fund ledger.

A 2024 state audit found that Kleinhelter had misappropriated funds from the commissary fund. A subsequent investigation completed in February of 2025 did not lead to any charges being filed against Kleinhelter; however, the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy board has taken action to decertify the sheriff based on the investigation’s results, which recommend several low-level felony charges. The ILEA subcommittee on decertification will hear Kleinhelter’s case on Nov. 17 in Indianapolis.

A new law requires the commissary funds to be audited by the county quarterly. During Monday’s meeting, the council asked for clarification on several charges. Those included charges of $437 at Zip’s Car Wash, airline tickets for training the sheriff attended, $980 for lodging for Chief Deputy Jesus Monarrez during training, and other expenses that weren’t clear in the ledger.

Kleinhelter answered the council’s questions but also told them he had repeatedly invited them to the sheriff’s office to review the receipts for these expenses.

They asked him to be more specific in his commissary ledger. Kluesner pointed out that it was what the state board of accounts would review in an audit.