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Sheriff Candidate Recap: The six who will be considered at Republican caucus

Staff Report — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 11:25:51 +0000

The lineup is set for Wednesday’s Republican caucus that will choose a new sheriff for Kosciusko County.

The deadline to submit applications to the Republican Party was at 7 p.m. Sunday, and nobody made a last-minute entry into the race.

Republican leaders will choose between the following six candidates.

Jordan A. Foreman, former Warsaw police detective

(Photo Supplied / Jordan Foreman)

Foreman has 13 years of experience in Emergency Medical Services and worked for 5 years with Warsaw Police. He resigned his commission from the Warsaw Police Department in 2016, and currently serves as the Manager of Clinical Operations for Lutheran EMS. Foreman remains a reserve officer with Winona Lake Police Department.

Joshua Spangle, Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Detective

(Photo Supplied / Josh Spangle)

Spangle is a second-generation law enforcement officer and has served as Deputy Sheriff for 15 years in Kosciusko County. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2013, and later named the Director of the Kosciusko County Crime Stoppers program in 2015. Spangle has also acted as the the Monroe Township Trustee for the past five years and was elected to the Board of Directors, and later the Vice President of Multi Township EMS.

Kyle P. Dukes, Indiana State Police trooper

(Photo Supplied / Dukes family)

Dukes has 17 years of experience as an Indiana State Trooper, and before that worked as a Reserve Deputy in Noble County, where his father was a two-term Sheriff. He’s been assigned to Presidential and Governor Security Details and won Trooper of the Year Award for the Bremen Post in 2009. Dukes lives in Milford with his family and is a member of the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club.

William “Rocky” Goshert, former Kosciusko County Sheriff, current interim sheriff

(Photo supplied/Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department)

Goshert’s law enforcement career began 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 elected Sheriff of Kosciusko County in 2006. He won a second term in 2010. He then became captain of the Sheriff’s Department when Aaron Rovenstine took office in 2015, and became acting Sheriff upon Rovenstine’s resignation May 23 of this year.

Louis W. “Bill” Brown, retired Indiana State Police Commander

(Photo Supplied / Times Union)

Brown lives in Pierceton and had a 33-year career with the Indiana State Police where he worked as a trooper and held several ranks, including District Commander at the Lowell police post. He was a candidate for sheriff in 2006. Brown currently works as an inspector for the Indiana State Department of Toxicology, which provides services for law enforcement. Brown and his wife, Vicki, and are the parents of four children.

W. Kelly Prater, assistant director of the county work release program

(Photo Supplied / Times Union)

Prater worked for 10 years as a jail officer where his duties included overseeing the inmate classification system as well as being responsible for paperwork and billing with the Department of Corrections. Prater was employed for more than three years as a court security officer. He also previously served as a part-time school resource officer for the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Prater was born and raised in Kosciusko County, and graduated from Warsaw Community High School. He and his wife, Jen, have two children. Previous to working with the county, his background included 10 years in sales, finance and management.

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Republicans will gather at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the old courthouse in Warsaw.

Interest in the caucus is expected to be strong, and officials are taking the rare step to warn the public of the possibility of a large crowd assembling to watch the event.

A press release from Republican Party Chairman Mike Ragan says fire officials will limit attendance to 120 people for safety precautions.

Priority seating will be given to candidates, precinct committee members, caucus workers directly involved in the caucus and the media. The remaining seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, Ragan said.

The vacancy for sheriff was created after Aaron Rovenstine was sentenced on one felony count of intimidation. He stepped down May 23.

Dan Spalding, Times Union contributed to this story.

The post Sheriff Candidate Recap: The six who will be considered at Republican caucus appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

Former Sheriff Rovenstine’s son to vote in caucus that elects new sheriff

Staff Report — Wed, 31 May 2017 11:47:22 +0000

A new sheriff will be chosen for Kosciusko County through a caucus after former Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine was convicted of a felony May 23.

The caucus is made up of precinct committeemen elected a year ago and a central committee of a chairman, vice chairman, secretary and treasurer who were just elected March 4, 2017.

One of the central committeemen may have a familiar last name. Austin Rovenstine, son of the former sheriff, acts as the County GOP Secretary.

Kosciusko County Republican Chairman Mike Ragan tells News Now Warsaw this will “absolutely not” affect the upcoming caucus.

“His role as secretary would be to take the minutes and he is also a voter,” explains Ragan. “Other than that, his participation, just like most everybody else, is just limited to voting.”

Ragan explains that Austin Rovenstine is an elected representative for Republicans in Kosciusko County.

“We had a vacant seat in the secretary position last fall and Austin Rovenstine was appointed. In the March 4th election, he was unanimously elected without an opponent.”

There are 69 people eligible to vote in the June 21 caucus to select a new sheriff. Mike Ragan would like to see people get more involved in their precincts.

“Its a very important position because you’re representing every man, woman, and child in Kosciusko County. We take it very seriously,” he says.

So far two people have confirmed to News Now Warsaw that they’ve filed for the sheriff’s position– former Warsaw Police Detective Jordan Foreman and current Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Spangle. The Times-Union reports Indiana State Trooper Kyle Dukes has also shown interest in the position.

A member of the Rovenstine family has been Kosciusko County sheriff for 26 of the last 40 years. Prosecutors referred to this as the “Rovenstine dynasty” in a press conference after the former sheriff’s sentencing.

Because former Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine was a Republican, Ragan says its up the the County Republicans to find a replacement. To be eligible for the sheriff position, you must be a Republican in “good standing”– Ragan explains what that means.

“If you are a registered voter living in Kosciusko County and pulled a Republican ballot in the last primary election we would consider you a Republican in good standing.”

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Rovenstine Recap: What you need to know before sentencing

Staff Report — Mon, 22 May 2017 11:22:18 +0000

Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine faces sentencing tomorrow, May 23.

He was indicted last year on 10 felony counts alleging that he accepted $40,000 to allow special privileges for a jail inmate and a visitor, including allowing unrecorded phone calls meant to hinder punishment of the inmate.

The Republican sheriff is also accused of intimidating a Warsaw police detective who was suspicious of his activities.

A jury of 8 women and 4 men was selected April 4.

Rovenstine pleaded guilty to a single count of felony intimidation on April 5. Pleading guilty was a move that will end his career as a public official and law enforcement officer, but not until he faces sentencing May 23 when a judge could accept the plea deal.

Prosecutors confirm that the conviction will remain a felony and he would be removed as sheriff. Kosciusko County Republican Party leaders would then meet and select a new sheriff within 30 days.

A member of the Rovenstine family has been Kosciusko County sheriff for 26 of the last 40 years.

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