Editor’s note: This is the second in a four-part series giving Kosciusko County’s four candidates for sheriff a chance to recap their campaigns. Part three continues Friday.

A year ago, Rocky Goshert was thinking more about retirement than running for a third term as sheriff.

But something happened.

His friend, Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine – the guy who hired him as a resource officer 18 years earlier – was facing criminal charges and would eventually be forced from office.

At the same time, the opioid crisis was on its way to killing two dozen people in Kosciusko County and the jail population – another issue – was climbing close to 300 inmates.

When Republicans chose Goshert in a hotly contested caucus in June to replace Rovenstine, he told the media he did not plan to run again, but with a caveat – never say never.

Goshert, 61, had already served two terms as sheriff, which ended in 2014, and had accumulated 37 years of law enforcement experience.

“I had no intention of running at the start, but then things changed,” Goshert said while drinking coffee and talking about his career at B-Mac’s diner in Warsaw.

Goshert faces three Republicans running for sheriff in Tuesday’s primary. Others include Coroner Tony Ciriello, State Trooper Kyle Dukes and County Deputy Chris Rager.

With no offense to his challengers, Goshert said, he doesn’t think they are ready for the job’s challenges.

“I felt like the citizens of this county were owed somebody that has experience and can go down that road with them hand-in-hand,” Goshert said.



A New Approach

Instead of being an interim caretaker, Goshert started making changes upon his return, with much of those directed at the drug problems, dominated by opioids and meth.

Among the changes:

• A plan to establish an intensive 90-day drug rehabilitation program in the jail for inmates awaiting sentencing and combine that with an increasing effort to team with outside groups such as Bowen Center for treatment and aftercare.

• The department also is working to establish a drug program using Vivitrol, for inmates with drug addictions who are approaching their release date. The drug helps prevent relapse for opioid dependence after detox and can be used to treat alcohol dependence, according to information at vivitrol.com.

Goshert says the new programs represents a significant shift in the approach toward incarceration.

“We know how to incarcerate and hold them, now we’re looking to get into rehabilitating them,” he said.

“I think it’s the right thing to do, not only for the community, but for the inmates, to offer them the opportunity to rehabilitate and be part of society,” he said.

The changes are also an attempt to reduce the number of inmates who treat the jail entrance like a revolving door. If they could slow down the recidivism rate, Goshert said, it could slow down the rising jail population.

The jail, he said, is the top priority, and he has made other changes, also related to illicit drug use.

The jail continues to cope with inmates trying to sneak drugs into the facility. Later this summer, the department will install a body scanner that will detect illegal drugs hiding inside the cavities of incoming inmates, Goshert said.

Policies involving inmate mail also changed. Holiday cards were banned because outsiders were using them to pass along drugs, sometimes soaking the paper products with liquified illegal substances.

Inmates no longer get original letters, either. Instead, they receive copies to further block the tranmission of drugs.

Despite the rising population, Goshert said there are no immediate plans to expand the jail. He said they might eventually move the drug rehab program to work release to make more space in the jail.

“We’re right at the max right now. That’s why we’re looking at rehabilitating and cutting down on the number of repeat offenders,” he said.

[[In-content Ad]]





Started With ISP

Goshert has slightly more years with the Indiana State Police than he does the county.

He joined ISP after graduating from Hanover College with a degree in business administration.

He lived in Columba City and his district included Whitley and Allen counties. Much of the work involved traffic patrols and security detail.

After 18 years, Rovenstine called and encouraged him to join the department as  a captain, but Goshert declined, saying he wanted to reach his 20-year pension.

Shortly after that happened, Rovenstine called again and Goshert joined the department as a school resource officer.

He eventually became a supervisor on the day shift, was promoted to corporal and began to consider a run for sheriff.

Soon after being elected in 2007, he entered office and admitted to being overwhelmed at first with the task. He said he was fortunate to be able to turn to Rovenstine and another former sheriff from Whitley County, Jim Spencer, for support.

The role of sheriff is nearly non-stop and Goshert said many of his vacations were limited to three or four days a week, because of the demands of the job.

“It’s a whole different world once you get there,” he said.



Is There A Rift?

Goshert said he took quick action to address the supposed strife between his department with Warsaw and other outlying agencies after returning to office in June.

He called a meeting on his first day and demanded his officers work with all departments and made it clear he “didn’t want to hear any more squabbling.”

He also reached out to nearly every other police agency in the county to discuss any issues. He said he stresses an open door policy for everyone.

“When the public needs help, they could care less if you’re wearing a blue uniform, a brown uniform or a pink uniform. They just want a policeman. And that’s what we will be. We will be professional in the way we handle it and how we do our jobs,” Goshert said.

Asked to assess the apparent rift with Warsaw on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being major – Goshert gave it a 1.

“I have no rift with the city or any other department chiefs,” he said.

At the center of the apparent fracture in relations between the two biggest departments appears to be the lack of a unified drug task force.

Goshert said he is willing to work with other agencies to re-establish a unified task force with the prosecutor overseeing it. Such an arrangement would need to have a second tier of supervisors from a cross section of the county and representation from town marshals.

And most importantly, he said, there would have to be a set of standard operating procedures adhered to by all departments. Among other things, those involve how confidential informants, money and drugs are used.

He said he has not reached out to the Warsaw Police Department, in part because he considers himself an interim sheriff.