2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Henry County Sheriff

Voted on across Henry County. Open seat: John Sproles is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballot All Henry County races

What this office does

The sheriff is an elected county officer created by the Indiana Constitution who arrests offenders, keeps the peace, serves court papers, keeps order in county courts and runs the county jail ^{[1, 2]}. The Indiana Sheriffs' Association describes sheriffs as constitutional officers elected by the people, whose work includes operating jails, serving civil process, providing court security and coordinating emergency response ^[3]. Every county elects its sheriff in 2026 for a four-year term, and no one may serve as sheriff more than eight years in any twelve-year period ^[1].

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; the sheriff serves until a successor is elected and qualified ^{[4, 1]}
Elected: Countywide by the county's voters on the partisan general election ballot; all county sheriffs are elected in 2026 ^[1]
Term limit: No more than eight years in any period of twelve years (Indiana Constitution, Article 6, Section 2) ^[1]
Qualifications: Must have lived in the county for at least one year before the election, be registered to vote in the county by the filing deadline, and file a statement of economic interests; a sheriff who moves out of the county forfeits the office ^{[1, 4]}
Pay: A county may pay the sheriff a salary from the county general fund of at least 50% to 100% of the state minimum salary of a full-time prosecuting attorney, depending on county population ^[5]
On the 2026 ballot: 92 races; 26 contested ^[6]

What the law puts in this job (13)

Arrests without a warrant people who commit an offense in the sheriff's view, brings them before a county court, and holds them while the arrest is investigated ^[2].
Suppresses breaches of the peace and pursues and jails felons ^[2].
Takes care of the county jail and the prisoners held there ^{[2, 3]}.
Serves and carries out legal papers (process) directed to the sheriff by courts and the county commissioners ^[2].
Attends and keeps order in all courts of the county, which the Sheriffs' Association describes as providing court security ^{[2, 3]}.
Takes photographs, fingerprints and other identification data from people held for crimes, and DNA samples for felonies ^[2].
Reports twice a year to the Indiana Department of Correction the average daily cost of holding a jail prisoner ^[2].
Holds state prisoners, including people convicted of Level 6 felonies, in the county jail, for which the state reimburses counties at a daily rate set in the state budget ^[7].
Coordinates emergency response and works with local police, prosecutors and community partners ^[3].
In a county whose council creates a sheriff's merit board by ordinance, appoints three of its five members, while the county police officers elect the other two; no more than two sheriff appointees and one elected member may belong to the same party ^[8].
Must report information to federal authorities when a person arrested for a felony or misdemeanor is believed to lack legal immigration status, and, since July 2026, notify the judge setting bail when holding a person subject to an immigration detainer ^{[9, 10]}.
May supervise and inspect businesses such as pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers ^[2].
What the sheriff does not control: the county commissioners must establish and maintain the county jail building ^[11]; the county makes the appropriation for feeding prisoners and sets the sheriff's salary ^[5]; the prosecuting attorney decides which crimes to prosecute ^[12]; and judges decide bail ^[13].

Henry 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

$2,056,329

5.0% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 25% more than 2019, before inflation

2019 $1,646,8242026 $2,056,329

The year-by-year figures

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

2019: $1,646,824
2020: $1,690,958
2021: $1,707,708
2022: $1,902,688
2023: $1,972,558
2024: $2,031,003
2025: $1,994,218
2026: $2,056,329

Budget lines counted: 0005 COUNTY SHERIFF

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

Budgeted separately, not included above: jail/detention center (depts 0380, 0381), $2.8 million.

Counties budget the jail differently: some put jail costs in the sheriff's department, others in a separate jail department. Compare the sheriff and jail together across counties.

Also on the record for this office

rated capacity: 226.0
latest jail count: 221
count date: 2024 (Vera v3.1)
IDOC holds: 6
IDOC holds date: 2026-08-01
federal (USMS/ICE) housing: not found
jail operating budget 2026: 5459875.0
sheriff dept actual 2025: 1989710.0
jail actual 2025: 2981321.0
jail project: [Vera jail-construction file, unverified] 2022 New Jail (Passed, $24.0M, beds 76->246)
dispatch/records systems: Spillman server: 2 network switches $3,082.46 (May 27, 2026); 5-year bank term agreement for three Spillman server nodes $130,765 (Aug. 26, 2026); Motorola radio lease $87,570 (Feb.…)

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.

Jail cost per inmate-day · 2025 spend / 2024 ADP

$36.96

2025 jail spending divided by the 2024 average daily population times 365.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: partial: the sheriff runs the jail and staffs it; the council funds it; state jail standards set minimum staffing; courts and prosecutors drive how many people are held

Position 17 of 21 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Average daily jail population · 2024

221

People held on an average day.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: partial: jail population depends on arrests, charging, bail and sentencing decisions by police, prosecutors and judges; the sheriff manages housing and transfers

Position 2 of 34 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Share of people in jail awaiting trial · 2019

74.0%

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

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

Position 14 of 32 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Reported crimes per 1,000 residents · 2025

5.7

Offenses reported by police agencies county-wide (agencies with full-year reporting), not only the sheriff's office.

How much this is the officeholder's to decide: low to partial: the sheriff patrols mainly unincorporated areas; city and town police cover most residents in larger counties

Position 12 of 28 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source

About this race

Henry County (county seat: New Castle) will elect a sheriff on Nov. 3, 2026. This is an open seat because incumbent Republican John Sproles lost his primary ^{[18, 6]}.
Seven candidates ran in the May 2026 primary ^[17]. In the Republican primary, election-night results were: James (Jim) Nicholson 2,408, John M. Sproles 1,720, Jason L. Williams 1,216, Randy Howard 343 and Craig Ring 133. In the Democratic primary: David Bockover 845, Landon J. Dean 516 ^[17].
Both nominees have local law-enforcement backgrounds. Nicholson is a captain at the New Castle Police Department, and Bockover is a special deputy court security officer at the Henry County Justice Center ^[19].
No general-election forums or debates were found in sources reviewed.

Candidates on the ballot

David Bockover

Democratic

Democrat David Bockover is a special deputy court security officer at the Henry County Justice Center. He won the Democratic primary over Landon J. Dean ^{[19, 17]}.

Bockover's background

Current position: special deputy court security officer at the Henry County Justice Center ^[19].
In a March 2026 podcast interview, he said he began working in the county jail about 10 to 12 years earlier (per the podcast's transcript) ^[20].

Bockover on the current officeholder

In the visible part of a March 2026 podcast transcript, he said he is running to give voters a competitive election. No statements about Sproles's record were found in freely available sources ^[20].

How Bockover got on the ballot

Won the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary with 845 votes to 516 for Landon J. Dean (election-night results) ^[17].

What we could not find about Bockover

No policy positions found in freely available sources. Local coverage (The Courier-Times) of his post-primary statements and a candidate questionnaire could not be reviewed for this profile.
His full work history with the sheriff's department could not be confirmed from freely available sources.
Most of the March 6, 2026 Boss Hog of Liberty podcast transcript could not be reviewed for this profile.
No campaign website, endorsements or fundraising reports found.
No endorsements or campaign-finance reports were found in sources reviewed.

Sources for Bockover

Bockover, Nicholson competing for sheriff in November election (The Courier-Times (New Castle))

James (Jim) Nicholson

Republican

Republican James (Jim) Nicholson is a captain at the New Castle Police Department. He defeated Sheriff John Sproles and three others in the May 2026 Republican primary ^{[19, 17]}.

Nicholson's background

Current position: captain at the New Castle Police Department ^[19].

How Nicholson got on the ballot

Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 2,408 votes. Incumbent John Sproles had 1,720, Jason L. Williams 1,216, Randy Howard 343 and Craig Ring 133 (election-night results) ^{[17, 18]}.

What we could not find about Nicholson

No policy positions found in freely available sources. Local coverage (The Courier-Times), including a candidate forum write-up, could not be reviewed for this profile.
His career history beyond his current rank and any earlier runs for office could not be confirmed from freely available sources.
No campaign website, endorsements or fundraising reports found.
No statements by Nicholson about Sproles's record were found in freely available sources.
No endorsements or campaign-finance reports were found in sources reviewed.

Sources for Nicholson

Bockover, Nicholson competing for sheriff in November election (The Courier-Times (New Castle))

Forums and debates

Public events where you can see the candidates, from the hosts' own announcements. Check the host's page for changes before you go.

Thursday, October 15, 2026, 7 p.m. · Candidate forum (held)

2026 Candidates Forum: Henry County Sheriff · hosted by New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce

New Castle-Henry County Public Library, 376 S. 15th St., New Castle

Details (New Castle-Henry County Chamber of Commerce)

Key points

Henry County (county seat: New Castle) will elect a sheriff on Nov. 3, 2026. This is an open seat because incumbent Republican John Sproles lost his primary. (FOX59)

Sources

Researched Sunday, October 11, 2026

2026 Indiana Candidate Guide (County Offices: County Sheriff) (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Code 36-2-13-5: Duties of sheriff (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 ISA President Statement (Jeffrey A. Balon, Porter County Sheriff) (Indiana Sheriffs' Association)
Indiana Code 36-2-13-2: Sheriff residency and term (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 36-2-13-2.8: Sheriff's salary (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
2026 General Election Candidate List (Indiana Election Division)
Indiana Department of Correction readies to pay $12 million in jail back payments (Indiana Capital Chronicle (via Inside INdiana Business))
Indiana Code 36-8-10-3: Sheriff's merit board (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Braun signs bill into law requiring jails to tell ICE about potential immigration violations (Network Indiana (via WMNC 95.3))
Illegally in Indiana: New state law aims at cracking down on illegal immigration (WNDU)
Indiana Code 36-2-2-24: County courthouse, jail and offices (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Indiana Code 33-39-1-5: Duties of prosecuting attorneys (FindLaw (Indiana Code, current as of 2026-01-01))
Amendment to deny bail to some offenders moves closer to November ballot (WFYI (via Indiana Public Media))
Henry County election results (2026 primary) (Indiana Public Radio)
Henry County sheriff loses reelection bid (Central Indiana primary election blog) (FOX59)
Bockover, Nicholson competing for sheriff in November election (The Courier-Times (New Castle))
BHOL 432: Landon Dean & David Bockover - Candidates for Sheriff (podcast listing and partial transcript) (The Boss Hog of Liberty via Podscan)

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.