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News, Announcements and Sheriff Sales
Sheriff's Sales
Mar 10, 2010 -
Sheriff's Sales Terms
Jan 27, 2010 -
Sheriff Sales
Oct 13, 2009 -
Job Opportunities
Mar 31, 2009 - The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office is now
accepting applications for the following positions:
Patrol Merit Deputy, Confinement Officers, and Communications Officers.
Click on the Downloads Icon above to view the full document.
Communications Officers- Job Opening
Sep 12, 2008 -
Sheriff John W. Dennis
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Hello, I am John W. Dennis. I was born in Auburn and am a lifelong resident. My wife Ellen and I have been married for 37 years (she is my Jail Matron). We have two daughters and three grandchildren.
This is my 32nd year in law enforcement - all of them with the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office. I am now serving my second term as your Sheriff.
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I have served under five different Sheriff's and have learned something from all of them. I have worked in every position in the Department. This gives me insight on what it takes to get the job done right the first time. I have been a supervisor for 21 of my 32 year carrier, (8 years as Patrol Sergeant, 8 years as Chief Deputy, and five years as Sheriff). I care about keeping my family and yours safe.
I graduated from DeKalb High School in 1968, I enlisted in the US Army for three years, I joined the Auburn Fire Department as a volunteer in 1973, and joined the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office as a reserve in 1975. I was hired full time by then Sheriff John Graham in 1977. I am so very proud to be a member of the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office as we work to protect and serve the residents of DeKalb County.
Chief Deputy Jay Oberholtzer
Chief Deputy Jay A. Oberholtzer joined the DeKalb County Sheriffs Department in August of 1977 as a reserve deputy sheriff under Sheriff John Graham. In January of 1978 he accepted a position as a Sheriffs Department police dispatcher and in 1979 attended the basic training course at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in Plainfield, Indiana.
In October of 1979 Oberholtzer was promoted to merit deputy sheriff by the Sheriffs merit board and assigned as a road patrol officer. During the past 24 years Oberholtzer has patrolled over 600,000 miles of Dekalb County's state and county roadways, performed hundreds of misdemeanor and felony criminal investigations and became the departments firearms and moving radar instructor.
In 1989 Oberholtzer graduated from the Argenbright International Institute of polygraph and for the following five years assisted numerous county and city police departments, state police, FBI and secret service in their criminal investigations as a polygraph examiner, having performed over 400 examinations. During 1992 and 1993 Oberholtzer worked with the United States National Security Agency in polygraph research. Chief Deputy Oberholtzer is also a graduate of the Department of Justice's National Sheriffs Institute. Oberholtzer was elected Sheriff of Dekalb County in 1994 and served in that position until December of 2002.
In January 2003 Oberholtzer was appointed as Chief Deputy by Sheriff John W. Dennis. Oberholtzer and Dennis have worked together as a team in law enforcement since 1977 and were friends prior to that time. The citizens of Dekalb County have a experienced, involved and hard working team leading their Dekalb County Sheriff’s Department.
DeKalb County Sheriff's Department History
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First Jail
1837-1850
The first DeKalb County Jail was authorized by
the Dekalb County Comissioners on May 9, 1838, several years before a permanent courthouse
was authorized. The Jail was to be built of logs. The jail was apparently located on the
square but this cannot be confirmed.
Sheriff's
Wesley
Park
Thomas J. Freeman
Jonathon Puffenbarger
S. W. Ralston
2nd Jail
1852-1875
The
2nd jail was contracted for 1851 and completed in 1852 on the southeast corner of the
public square. It cost $1,000 and was an improvement over the log jail. In 1887 it was
moved to the northeast corner of Cedar and Ninth Street and used for the Auburn Town Hall
and Fire Barn.
Sheriff's
1850-54
--- W. K. Straight
1854-56 --- Isaac Brandt
1856-60 --- S. W. Ralston
1860-62 --- J. N. Chamberlain
1862-68 --- J. N. Miller
1868-72 --- H. Willis
3rd Jail
1875-1919
The
3rd jail was a handsome structure designed by T. J. Tolan & Son of Toledo and later of
Fort Wayne. It was built by James R. Duncan, William Crane, and Harmon Lydecker of
Waterloo at a total cost of $28,647. It was equpped with triple gates and the latest
Scandinavian locks. The building was located on the southeast corner of the public square
and remained there for several years after the present courthouse was built.
Sheriff's
1872-76
--- W. L. Meese
1876-78 --- John St. Clair
1878-82 --- A. S. Lease
1882-86 --- John W. Boyle
1886-88 --- K. Garrison
1888-90 --- J. Plum
1890-92 --- Phillip Plum
1892-94 --- George C. Ralston
1894-98 --- Henry P. Stroh
1898-1902 --- John Hathaway
1902-04 --- George W. Bleeks
1904-08 --- James W. Reed
1908-12 --- R. L. Thomas
1912-16 --- John P. Hoff (D)
4th Jail
1919-1985
The
contract for the new jail was let May 28, 1917, to H. H. Ackemere of Auburn for $52,940.
The final cost was $89,535. The jail was as modern as any jail in the county at the time.
It was located on the public square at the southeast quadrant of Eighth and Ceder Streets.
The jail was first occupied on January 15,1919 and has served the county well.
Sheriff's
1916-20
--- Frank Baltz (D)
1920-22 --- Twite L. Hoodelmier(R)
1922-26 --- William G. Morr (D)
1926-30 --- John C. Armstrong (D)
1930-34 --- John P. Hoff (D)
1934-38 --- Herbert N. Grimm (D)
1938-42 --- Artus Coyle (R)
1942-46 --- Paul F. Miller (R)
1946-58 --- Frank E. Carpenter (R)
1958-66 --- Dorsie A. Likens (R)
1966-73 --- James D. Sims (R)
1973-78 --- John L. Graham (R)
1979-82 --- Larry E. Myers (R)
1983-1987 --- Larry Metcalf (R)
5th Jail
1985-present
Construction
started on the new Dekalb County Jail on April 23,1984, at the Cost of $2.86 million
dollars. The facility contains 27,500 square feet. This facility has a Central Control
room which has complete security control over the entire facility and also serves as as
the Communications Center for the Sheriff's Department county-wide communications.
Sheriff's
1987-1994
--- Donald Crowl (D)
1995-2002 --- Jay A. Oberholtzer (R)
2003-present---John Dennis (R)
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