2026 General Election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Scott County Sheriff

Voted on across Scott County. Open seat: Jerry Goodin is not on the ballot.

Find your exact ballot All Scott 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].

Scott 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

$1,407,482

5.2% of the county's adopted 2026 budget · 24% more than 2019, before inflation

2019 $1,139,2262026 $1,407,482

The year-by-year figures

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

2019: $1,139,226
2020: $1,360,375
2021: $1,570,339
2022: $1,671,476
2023: $1,571,256
2024: $1,425,039
2025: $2,829,763
2026: $1,407,482

Budget lines counted: 0005 COUNTY SHERIFF; fund 9551 Co Sh Riverboat/Sheriff Pens

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

Elected official's pay, 2026 budget line

$110,108

From the county budget; verify against the county's 2026 salary ordinance. A line can include longevity pay or a second role.

Budgeted separately, not included above: jail/detention center (depts 0380, 0381), $3.1 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.
Includes $90,000 in funds named for the office (for example a commissary or perpetuation fund) that are not coded to its department.

Also on the record for this office

rated capacity: 195.0
latest jail count: 135
count date: 2024 (Vera v3.1)
IDOC holds: 8
IDOC holds date: 2026-08-01
federal (USMS/ICE) housing: not found
jail operating budget 2026: 3058128.0
sheriff dept actual 2025: 596325.0
jail actual 2025: 439597.0
jail project: [Vera jail-construction file, unverified] 2015 Jail Expansion (Passed, $11.5M, beds 65->200)

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 occupancy · 2024 (Vera v3.1)

69.0%

Latest jail count as a share of rated capacity.

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 5 of 15 counties with 25,000 to 50,000 residents that have this figure (1 = highest value)

source · source

Average daily jail population · 2024

135

People held on an average day.

Position 12 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

85.0%

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 7 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

9.8

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

source

About this race

This is an open seat: Sheriff Jerry Goodin, in office since 2019, is not on the ballot ^{[17, 6]}.
Both nominees filed on the first day of the filing period in January 2026 ^[21]. In the May 5, 2026 Republican primary, Scott Zellers won with 1,089 votes to 425 for Shan S. Mayer (as spelled in local coverage); Democrat Joe Guarneri was unopposed ^[22].
Guarneri is the sheriff's chief deputy under Sheriff Goodin ^{[23, 18]}.
Local coverage of the general-election campaign is very thin: no candidate questionnaires, forums or debates were found.

Candidates on the ballot

Joe Guarneri

Democratic

Joe Guarneri is chief deputy of the Scott County Sheriff's Office under Sheriff Jerry Goodin; he is the Democratic nominee ^{[23, 22]}.

Guarneri's background

Chief deputy of the Scott County Sheriff's Office as of 2026 ^{[23, 18]}; identified as Lt. Colonel in a September 2024 sheriff's office release and in a March 2023 jail-inspection photo caption ^{[24, 17]}.
In September 2024 he spoke with first-grade students visiting the courthouse about friendship and safety, saying officers should reach out to children whenever they can ^[24].

Guarneri's positions

Patrol & response

In June 2026, as chief deputy, said that because deputies are often first to arrive at emergencies in rural parts of the county, carrying defibrillators in patrol cars makes sense ^[23].

Guarneri on the current officeholder

Serves as chief deputy under Sheriff Goodin ^[23]; no campaign statements about Goodin's record were found.

How Guarneri got on the ballot

Filed for sheriff as a Democrat on the first day of the January 2026 filing period ^[21].
Unopposed in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary ^[22]; listed on the general-election ballot as a Democrat ^[6].

What we could not find about Guarneri

No campaign website, social-media page, questionnaire or forum appearance was located; his campaign positions are unknown.
Years of service and earlier career are not documented in the sources reviewed.
No stated positions found on the jail, staffing and pay, budget, drugs, school safety or immigration enforcement.
Campaign-finance reports were not reviewed.
No campaign plans were found in available coverage.
No endorsements or campaign-finance totals were found in available coverage.

Sources for Guarneri

Scott County Health Department Provides Sheriff's Office Heart Defibrillators (Crothersville Times)

Scott Zellers

Republican

Scott Zellers won the May 2026 Republican primary for sheriff; no information about his background or positions was found in available coverage ^[22].

How Zellers got on the ballot

Filed for sheriff as a Republican on the first day of the January 2026 filing period ^[21].
Won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary with 1,089 votes to 425 for Shan S. Mayer (as spelled in local coverage) ^[22]; listed on the general-election ballot as a Republican ^[6].

What we could not find about Zellers

Coverage is extremely thin: his occupation, law-enforcement experience and positions could not be found; searches for his name returned no profiles, campaign pages or interviews.
No campaign website, social-media page, questionnaire or forum appearance was located.
Campaign-finance reports were not reviewed.
No background information was found in available coverage.
No campaign plans were found in available coverage.
No statements about Sheriff Goodin's record were found.
No endorsements or campaign-finance totals were found in available coverage.

Sources for Zellers

Upsets in Republican Primary Elections (Crothersville Times)

Key points

This is an open seat: Sheriff Jerry Goodin, in office since 2019, is not on the ballot. (Scott County Sheriff's Office)
Scott levies a 0.25% special-purpose income tax for the jail. The jail held about 135 people in 2024 against 195 rated beds (2019 BJS). (scottcounty.in.gov)

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))
Scott County Sheriff Proud to Announce Flawless State Jail Inspection (Scott County Sheriff's Office)
Sheriff Warns Of Phone Scam (Crothersville Times)
Candidates Begin Filing For Primary Election Offices (Crothersville Times)
Upsets in Republican Primary Elections (Crothersville Times)
Scott County Health Department Provides Sheriff's Office Heart Defibrillators (Crothersville Times)
The Scott County Sheriff's Office and Scott County Prosecutors Office Seek Every Opportunity to Visit with our Youth (Scott County Sheriff's Office)

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.