After winning the Republican caucus in June for sheriff, when William “Rocky” Goshert was asked if he’d run in 2018, his answer was, “Never say never.”
Today, Sheriff Goshert announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination in 2018 for a full term.
Goshert, who served two terms as sheriff from 2007 to 2015, was elevated as interim sheriff after the resignation of former Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine on May 23.
Rovenstine resigned after pleading guilty to intimidation of Warsaw Police Department Lt. Paul Heaton.
Goshert was selected in June by a caucus to fill out the remainder of Rovenstine’s term.
Goshert joins a growing list of candidates for 2018.
Indiana State Trooper Kyle Dukes, a runner-up in the caucus, announced in October that he was seeking the sheriff’s position. County Coroner Tony Ciriello announced his candidacy Monday. Another candidate, KCSD officer Chris Rager, was expected to announce today.
Goshert, said he has been approached by several local Republicans and members of law enforcement urging him to seek another full term in office.
Goshert is a longtime Kosciusko County resident and a 1975 graduate of Warsaw Community High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Hanover College in 1979.
He began his law enforcement career in 1980 as a trooper for the Indiana State Police. In 2001, he was hired as a deputy at the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department and was eventually promoted to the rank of corporal.
Goshert was first elected Kosciusko sheriff in 2006, winning a second term in 2010. He served as captain of the KCSD during Rovenstine’s last term.
Goshert said that he was proud of the officers on his department, and he took issue with the accusations that they are not cooperating with other law enforcement agencies.
“We cooperate with other law enforcement agencies, and we’ll continue to cooperate, but we won’t capitulate,” he said. “The sheriff is the only elected law enforcement officer in the county, so it’s important that we maintain our independence. We’re the only agency directly accountable to the people.”
He said that he has not received complaints from any town marshals about a lack of cooperation, but if he did, he would immediately take steps to fix it.
Goshert said that the department under his leadership is looking to deal more aggressively with the opioid crisis. Three of his department heads will soon be attending FBI and DEA training seminars with the goal of helping road and jail officers to identify signs of potential overdoses.
Goshert hopes that once the officers are trained, they can assist the smaller departments that may not have the budget for such training.
In light of the recent church shootings in North Carolina and Texas, Goshert said the department is also developing a program to make sure officers are always available to local churches on Sundays, according to the news release.
Goshert resides in Warsaw with his wife, Joy, who serves as assistant superintendent of the Wawasee Community School Corporation. He has three children: Cody, 27; Taylor, 27; and Drake, 31.
