Kleinhelter loses certification but remains Dubois County sheriff

Dubois County Sheriff Thomas Kleinhelter lost his law-enforcement certification Monday, but he did not lose the sheriff’s office. That split matters in Dubois County because Indiana sheriffs are elected constitutional officers, chosen by voters for four-year terms, and the state training board can strip certification without removing the person elected to the job.

The Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board accepted Kleinhelter’s voluntary relinquishment of certification on June 15, ending his ability to serve as a certified police officer anywhere in Indiana. The action, however, does not unseat him as sheriff. Under Indiana law, the office belongs to the voters, not the training board, which means Kleinhelter remains in charge of the Dubois County Sheriff’s Office unless removed through a separate legal or political process.

The board’s chair, Indiana State Police Superintendent Anthony Scott, said the certification change likely does not alter much until Kleinhelter is done being sheriff. One board member, Russ McQuaid, abstained from the vote. The board had already rejected an earlier proposed settlement in April that would have allowed Kleinhelter to keep his certification until 2027. After that failed settlement fight, Gov. Mike Braun removed Kleinhelter from the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board.

Kleinhelter’s surrender was described as not an admission of wrongdoing and was meant to resolve the administrative case without a hearing. Still, the move leaves him without the credential that lets Indiana officers work as certified police anywhere in the state. He can continue to hold the elected sheriff’s office, but any future return of his certification would require approval from the board.

The certification fight runs alongside a criminal case in Marion County. Prosecutors charged Kleinhelter on April 9 with one count of official misconduct, a Level 6 felony, and three counts of false informing, all Class B misdemeanors. He has pleaded not guilty. The charges stem from a 2024 Indiana State Police investigation into allegations of theft and fraud, which began after a 2024 audit by the Indiana State Board of Accounts flagged more than $16,000 in spending by Kleinhelter. State police opened the inquiry in July 2024 and later referred findings to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office and the local prosecutor.

Kleinhelter was elected sheriff of Dubois County in the November 8, 2022 general election. For now, that election result still stands, even as his certification has been taken off the table.