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2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Prosecuting Attorney of Hancock County, 18th Judicial Circuit

Voted on across Hancock County.

Find your exact ballotAll Hancock County races

What this office does

The prosecuting attorney is the elected lawyer who brings criminal cases on behalf of the State of Indiana, conducting all prosecutions for felonies, misdemeanors and infractions within the prosecutor's jurisdiction [1]. A prosecutor is elected in each judicial circuit rather than by county, and Indiana has 91 prosecuting attorneys [2, 3]. Candidates must be admitted to practice law in Indiana before the election [4]. Since July 2025, a state prosecutor review board can investigate complaints that a prosecutor is not following state law [5, 6].

The job in full — the duties the Indiana Code puts in it, the term, what it pays and who sets that, and what to ask a candidate.

Term
4 years; prosecutors are elected in 2026, 2030, 2034 and every four years after that [2]
Elected
One prosecutor per judicial circuit, on the partisan November ballot; Democratic and Republican nominees are chosen in the May primary, while the Libertarian Party nominates prosecutor candidates at its state convention [2, 4]
Term limit
None; the office has a four-year term with no term limitations [7]
Qualifications
Must be admitted to the practice of law in Indiana before the election, be registered to vote in the election district by the candidate filing deadline, and file a statement of economic interest with the courts [4]
Pay
The state pays the minimum salary: for a full-time prosecutor, equal to the minimum salary of the circuit court judge in the same circuit, and 60% (66% in certain circuits) of that amount for other prosecutors [8]
On the 2026 ballot
91 races; 11 contested [9]
What the law puts in this job (12)
  • Conducts all prosecutions for felonies, misdemeanors and infractions within the prosecutor's jurisdiction, and performs other duties required by law [1].
  • Represents the state in criminal cases, conducts criminal investigations, and convenes and oversees grand juries [7].
  • Handles juvenile cases and prosecutes traffic and infraction violations [7].
  • Enforces child support orders entered in divorce and paternity cases; the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council runs a statewide child support services program to support this work [7, 3].
  • Gives information and help to crime victims [7], and must notify the victim when the prosecutor withholds prosecution under a diversion agreement [10].
  • May withhold prosecution of a misdemeanor, Level 6 felony or Level 5 felony if the person agrees in writing to a pretrial diversion program, with conditions such as treatment, restitution, fees or staying away from the victim; the program is not available for certain drunk-driving charges [10].
  • Superintends lawsuits in which the county or certain trust funds have an interest [1].
  • Appoints a chief deputy and other deputy prosecutors; the state pays set salaries for certain deputies, and the county council appropriates money each year for other deputies, investigators, clerical staff and office expenses [11].
  • Works with the county sheriff, a separately elected officer who arrests suspects and runs the county jail, and with local police agencies [12, 13].
  • Receives training, manuals and legal research support from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, a state judicial branch agency governed by a board of 10 elected prosecutors [3].
  • Since July 2025, can be the subject of a complaint to the state prosecutor review board, a board of five prosecuting attorneys that investigates whether a prosecutor is complying with state law and issues a report [6, 5].
  • What the prosecutor does not control: judges decide whether a defendant is released on bail [14]; the county council appropriates the county's share of the office budget [11]; and the state sets the prosecutor's minimum salary [8].

What has changed in this job lately

Changes in the law the next officeholder will work under, most distant first.

  1. March 2023

    Senate Bill 284, which would have set up a procedure to appoint a special prosecutor when a prosecutor refuses to enforce a law, passed a House committee 9-4 and was sent to the Ways and Means Committee; the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council supported that bill and the ACLU opposed it [15].

  2. February 2025

    As passed by the House 72-24, House Bill 1006 would have created a board to investigate prosecutors who categorically refuse to prosecute laws and required the Prosecuting Attorneys Council to withhold certain funding from a prosecutor labeled noncompliant; author Rep. Chris Jeter (R-Fishers) said it is lawmakers' job to make the law and prosecutors' job to enforce it, while Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington) said voters decide every four years how prosecutors use their resources [16].

  3. May 2025

    Gov. Mike Braun signed House Enrolled Act 1006 (Public Law 147-2025), which took effect July 1, 2025, and established the prosecutor review board [17, 5, 18].

  4. July 2025

    Mirror Indy reported that under the enacted law anyone can file a complaint, a board of five prosecuting attorneys investigates, and the law does not specify consequences beyond the board's report; Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears told Fox59 the law was deliberately targeted at his office, Jeter called it a step toward holding prosecutors accountable, and Chris Naylor of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council said his group did not oppose this version [6].

  5. 2025

    House Enrolled Act 1006 also requires that two members of the Indiana Commission on Court Appointed Attorneys be trial court judges [5].

  6. November 2026

    Public Question 1 asks voters whether to amend the Indiana Constitution so courts can deny bail, for offenses other than murder or treason, when the state proves by clear and convincing evidence that no release conditions will reasonably protect others or the community [19].

  7. 2026

    On the bail question, author Sen. Eric Koch (R-Bedford) said releasing some defendants before trial is too dangerous to public safety, while Samantha Bresnahan of the ACLU of Indiana said detention can cost someone their job, housing and custody of their children, and Zach Stock of the Indiana Public Defender Council raised concerns about jail overcrowding [14].

Hancock County's numbers for this office

Legal Insights county office research (Oct. 13, 2026): Indiana Gateway budgets 2019-2026 and the indicator sources linked on each line.

This office's 2026 budget

$1,750,127

1.8% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 74% more than 2019, before inflation

2019: $1,004,7862020: $1,101,5692021: $1,098,7782022: $1,164,7712023: $1,294,2852024: $1,437,2312025: $1,600,5562026: $1,750,127
2019 $1,004,7862026 $1,750,127
The year-by-year figures

Adopted budget, all funds, 2019-2026 (not adjusted for inflation)

  • 2019: $1,004,786
  • 2020: $1,101,569
  • 2021: $1,098,778
  • 2022: $1,164,771
  • 2023: $1,294,285
  • 2024: $1,437,231
  • 2025: $1,600,556
  • 2026: $1,750,127

Budget lines counted: 0009 PROSECUTING ATTORNEY; fund 9513 0511 PreTrial Diversion; fund 9520 0536 Prosecutor Incentive (10-1-99)

Adopted 2026 county budget (Form 1 line items, Form 4B) and earlier years' budgets

  • Includes $165,889 in funds named for the office (for example a commissary or perpetuation fund) that are not coded to its department.

Measured, for this county

A position compares this county with counties of similar size. It is not a grade: for most measures a higher or lower number is neither good nor bad on its own.

Trial-court workload per judicial officer · 2025

1.193

Weighted caseload: judicial need divided by judicial officers. Above 1.00 means more work than officers to handle it.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low: measures the trial courts' workload; the prosecutor's filings are one input

Position 4 of 17 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

Share of people in jail awaiting trial · 2019

51.0%

People held before trial as a share of the jail population.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low to partial: pretrial detention is decided by courts (bail) and prosecutors (charging); the county funds pretrial services

Position 13 of 16 counties with 50,000 to 150,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

About this race

  • The current officeholder, Brent E. Eaton (Republican), is on the ballot for another term [3, 9].
  • Only one candidate is on the ballot for this office [9].

Candidates on the ballot

Brent E. Eaton

RepublicanIncumbent

Brent E. Eaton (Republican) is the current officeholder, according to the county [3].

Eaton's background

  • Listed by the county as the current officeholder [3].

How Eaton got on the ballot

  • Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary unopposed, with 6,524 votes [20].

What we could not find about Eaton

  • No campaign website, candidate questionnaire or interview stating plans for the office was found in free sources as of Oct. 13, 2026.

Sources for Eaton

Key points

Sources

Researched Tuesday, October 13, 2026

  1. Indiana Code 33-39-1-5: Duties of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  2. Indiana Code 3-10-2-12: Election of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  3. Find Your Prosecutor: Hancock County (Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council)
  4. 2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (Prosecuting Attorney) (Indiana Election Division)
  5. Prosecutors (H.E.A. 1006, P.L. 147-2025) (Indiana Legislative Update, Indiana Office of Court Services)
  6. How a new Indiana law about 'noncompliant prosecutors' could affect Indy (Mirror Indy)
  7. Prosecutor's Office (Clark County, Indiana)
  8. Indiana Code 33-39-6-5: Prosecuting attorney salaries (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  9. 2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
  10. Indiana Code 33-39-1-8: Pretrial diversion (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  11. Indiana Code 33-39-6-2: Deputy prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  12. Indiana Code 36-2-13-5: Duties of sheriff (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
  13. 2026 ISA President Statement (Jeffrey A. Balon, Porter County Sheriff) (Indiana Sheriffs' Association)
  14. Amendment to deny bail to some offenders moves closer to November ballot (WFYI (via Indiana Public Media))
  15. Noncompliant prosecuting attorneys (SB 284) (Indiana Legislative Update, Indiana Office of Court Services)
  16. Indiana House OKs bill that could give county prosecutors less discretion (Indiana Capital Chronicle (via The Indiana Lawyer))
  17. IN HB1006 (2025): Prosecutors (BillTrack50)
  18. Michiana-area lawmaker supports new bill aiming to hold prosecutors accountable (WNDU)
  19. Indiana bail amendment clears General Assembly, sending detention question to November ballot (IndyPolitics.Org (reporting by Indiana Capital Chronicle))
  20. 2026 Primary Election results (certified), Indiana Election Night Reporting (Indiana Election Division)
What's included
the U.S. House, statewide offices, every Indiana House and Senate district on the ballot, Indiana's statewide public questions and judicial retention questions, and county, township, city, town and school board races from the Indiana Election Division's candidate list.
Everything else
Local races (county, city, school board, judges) and anything else on your ballot are on your official sample ballot: IndianaVoters.in.gov.
Candidate lists
As of Sunday, October 18, 2026.
At the polls
Indiana law lets you bring a list of candidates and public questions into the polling place, including one stored on your phone, as long as you don't electioneer. IC 3-11-8-18.5

This is not an official ballot. Confirm your registration, polling place and ballot with your election office through vote.gov.