Dubois County sheriff kept his office after losing police certification over $78K audit
A 2024 Indiana State Board of Accounts audit flagged roughly $78,000 in questionable spending from the Dubois County Sheriff's Office jail commissary fund, including travel and meals tied to trips by Sheriff Tom Kleinhelter and his wife, who was not an employee. A special prosecutor declined to charge him over the spending. In April 2026 the Marion County prosecutor charged him with official misconduct and false informing, alleging he lied to Indiana State Police investigators; he has pleaded not guilty. Gov. Mike Braun removed him from the Law Enforcement Training Board on April 20 after the board rejected a settlement 9-4. On June 15 the board accepted his surrender of his certification, which states it is not an admission of misconduct. He remains sheriff, since the office is elected, and his criminal case is pending.
Kleinhelter still sits as Dubois County sheriff and continues to retain his law enforcement credentials, however. A decertification request is still pending before the training board.
Officials say this was to validate her travels and justify her expenses.
The underlying case grew out of a 2024 State Board of Accounts audit that identified roughly $78,000 in questionable spending from the Dubois County Sheriff’s Office commissary fund
Said he voluntarily gave up the certification and there is no finding or admission of any wrongdoing.
No outcome recorded yet.