Dubois County sheriff loses Indiana law enforcement certification but keeps elected office

(INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — The Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board accepted Dubois County Sheriff Thomas Kleinhelter’s voluntary relinquishment of his certification Monday — but the action does not remove the embattled sheriff from his office.

Kleinhelter will serve as county sheriff without the law enforcement credentials required of most Hoosier police officers. Indiana’s sheriffs are elected constitutional officers whose authority comes from voters rather than certification by the state training board.

e also continues to face pending criminal charges in Marion County, alleging he lied to Indiana State Police investigators during a months-long probe into accusations that he misused public resources and abused his office. 

Kleinhelter has pleaded not guilty.

“Really, this probably doesn’t change much until he’s done being sheriff,” Indiana State Police Superintendent Anthony Scott, who chairs the training board, told the Indiana Capital Chronicle after Monday’s meeting. “He’s an elected official, so technically, we can’t take that away from him.”

During Monday’s meeting, board members voted to accept a settlement agreement under which Kleinhelter voluntarily relinquished ...