(By Steve Dillon)
Michael Heldman may not have grown up with dreams of becoming one of Hancock County’s longest-serving public servants. But it happened.
Raised in rural Hancock County in the 1950s and 60s, Heldman was more likely to become a farmer, milkman, or environmentalist than a county sheriff. Along with farming, his father, Merritt, was employed with San-a-Pure Dairy, in Findlay, and Mike, as a teen worked a summer job also at San-a-Pure.
Fast forward 50 years: Heldman, 73, is now nearing the end of his 7th term as the county’s chief law enforcement officer, and on the verge of retirement.
When he leaves office on Jan. 5 he will have accumulated 52 years – 28 as sheriff.
“A close friend once told me being sheriff, would be a ‘piece of cake,’ little did we know it would be 28 years. It’s been interesting, to say the least,” Heldman said recently in his office at the Hancock County Justice Center while leafing through a scrapbook full of memories. “I’ve enjoyed serving the people of Hancock County.”
Looking back, Heldman’s early interest in law enforcement may have started as a kid after his cousin Ron, who was in the military police, gifted him a brimmed hat, a military-style holster, and a toy gun.
Heldman recalls also being enamored watching Broderick Crawford in the “Highway Patrol” TV show. “I remember how exciting that show was,” he said. “I could see myself doing that.”
After graduating from Arlington High School in 1969, Heldman started studies in the then-emerging environmental science field before turning to criminal justice at Owens Tech in Perrysburg College.
He left Owens in 1972 but already had his foot in the door at the sheriff’s office after interviewing Hancock County Sheriff William Bell for a class assignment. A short time later Bell contacted him and offered him a job helping at the sheriff’s office. It was Bell who would deputize Heldman in February 1972.
The rest is history.
Heldman’s 7-terms as sheriff make him the longest-serving of the 37 sheriffs in county history. In January, he will pass his sheriff’s duties to Mike Cortez, who was elected in November.
The early years
When Heldman joined the sheriff’s ranks, he was one of just eight officers who shared jail duties and patrolled the county.
Today there are 102 sheriff’s employees, including corrections officers and staff.
In 1972, the county jail was located at the corner of Broadway and Main Cross Street, in 1975 the sheriff’s office was moved to the building where the Juvenile and Probate Court is today.
The separate facilities were combined into one building when the Hancock County Justice Center opened in 1989 at Crawford and Cory Streets.
That’s where Heldman went from the road through the ranks to jail administration, and ultimately to sheriff.
By 1981, he had been promoted to shift sergeant and coordinator of the office’s crime prevention unit. In 1984 he was made lieutenant/jail administrator.
The ‘80s were also when Heldman founded Block Watch and Crime Stoppers of Hancock County and became involved in the Ohio Crime Prevention Association.
From 1990-1996 Heldman was training sergeant at the jail.
Heldman would serve nine years under Bell and 16 under Sheriff Byron Boutwell. It was Boutwell who promoted him in corrections, and who later encouraged him to run for sheriff.
“I remember getting a call one night at home in 1995 after Byron had decided to leave (office) and he asked me if I’d consider running,” Heldman said. “After talking it over with Laurie (wife) I decided to go for it.”
Heldman would win that first election, and six more 4-year terms. Despite being a longtime conservative, he said he never considered the sheriff’s job a political one.
“As a Republican, I didn’t see the job as a Republican or Democrat,” he said. “I just tried to do the job to the best of my ability and always tried to be fair to all.”
In most campaigns, Heldman was uncontested on the ballot. Still, he said he would analyze the final vote totals to get a sense of the amount of community support he had received. He usually was the top vote-getter of those in countywide races.
“I considered their votes to mean they thought I was doing a good job.”
Statewide service
Heldman’s interests in corrections, crime prevention, and training continued after he was elected sheriff. He became involved in various crime prevention organizations around Ohio and was a state-certified instructor with the Ohio Peace Officer’s Training Council.
Over the years he held various leadership roles with the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association and other law enforcement-related organizations.
The BSSA keeps the state’s 88 sheriffs abreast of advancements in law enforcement techniques, technology, legal precedent, legislative action, and training.
Heldman has served as chairman of the BSSA’s Community Corrections Committee since 1999 and helped implement increased training for corrections officers.
In 2004, he served as the BSSA president and was chairman, in 2012, of the Ohio Jail Advisory Board. In 2013 he was appointed to the Ohio Peace Officers Training Commission by Gov. John Kasich.
Robert Cornwell, who has been director of the BSSA for 41 years, has worked alongside Heldman in Columbus since 1997.
“It became very clear to me early on how committed Mike was to law enforcement and the association,” Cornwell said recently. “Mike wore a lot of different hats around here.”
After completing his term as president, Cornwell said Heldman continued to serve on the Ohio jail advisory board and other BSSA groups.
“Mike has been instrumental in helping keep Ohio’s jail standards updated and working to implement training requirements for the state’s sheriffs. “I will miss his leadership with the organization, and his friendship.”
In 2004, Heldman was awarded the Michael Blankenship Member Service Award by the Ohio Crime Prevention Association for his contributions to state and local crime prevention programs.
Blizzards and floods, oh my
Heldman’s tenure has spanned five decades. Each created memorable events and challenges to keeping the county safe.
He recalls the 1978 blizzard that paralyzed Northwestern Ohio; the 2007 flooding; and the Sept. 11, 2001. Other things, like “Y2K”, the COVID epidemic, and this year’s solar eclipse got the full attention of the sheriff’s office.
“We didn’t know what to expect with the whole eclipse thing,” he said. “Depending on who you believed, we were going to be overrun by people, or not. We had to be prepared either way,” he said. “Fortunately, it didn’t turn out to be as much of a problem, as some believed it would be.”
“Looking back, the blizzard was a huge challenge,” he recalled. “It shut everything down. We couldn’t get around the county in cruisers. All we had were snowmobiles. That was a long week.”
The 100-year flood created problems for law enforcement too, with rescues, road closures, and stranded motorists and residents. Inmates at the jail had to be evacuated from when floodwaters crept inside from Cory Street.
Heldman said there was “anxiety and wondering what would happen next” after Sept. 11, 2001, and unique challenges resulted from COVID at the jail and with interactions with the public.
Certain crimes and accidents are also etched in Heldman’s memory: the infamous runaway train on May 15, 2001; the March 2006 muti-agency, high-speed chase along Interstate 75 that ended in the suspect being shot outside a Bluffton gas station; the fiery train derailment near Arcadia in 2011; the 2012 Derecho, among others.
By far, the hardest days, Heldman says, would come when a law enforcement officer died, either in the line of duty or passed away unexpectedly.
In recent years, the sheriff’s office lost long-time employees, Barry Turner and Mike McGuire.
“While their deaths weren’t while on duty, they hit our entire staff hard,” he said. “They were good officers who died too soon.”
More recently, Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis died on March 31, 2022, while trying to stop a fleeing vehicle on I-75.
“I think the loss of Dominic was devastating for many people, including us at the sheriff’s office, Heldman recalled. “He was involved in so many things. He had been a dispatcher, helped with our explorers, was a Bluffton police officer, and did so much for Cory-Rawson School and the community. He was loved by many.”
“That was a tough time.”
Community outreach, mental health
Programs like TRIAD, which keeps the community advised of local issues involving seniors, and the Sheriff’s Citizen Academy, which gives citizens a birds-eye view of the inner workings of the sheriff’s office, have continued throughout Heldman’s run as sheriff.
He also sponsored an annual event to update the community on dangerous drug trends.
Heldman has also opened new doors at the county jail, by allowing mental health treatment.
Precia Stuby, director of Hancock ADAMHS, credits Heldman with advancing programs that helped reduce recidivism while also improving outcomes for inmates.
For several years now, counselors have made regular visits to the jail to help those inmates who need mental health support.
She said Heldman has worked closely with community partners, including ADAMHS to help those who encounter the criminal justice system.
Heldman has also embraced the Welcome to a New Life program, which started five years ago and connects mentors with inmates to assist them in reentry into the community.
“Mike has welcomed mental health services into the justice center for as long as I can remember, along with a whole host of other community resources – providing as many opportunities for the inmates as possible … hoping something will be the catalyst for change,” Stuby said.
She said the sheriff has also backed CIT (crisis intervention training) for his staff – those in the field, corrections officers, and dispatchers.
“This has resulted in the de-escalation of hundreds of encounters for individuals in distress,” Stuby said. “He has also supported the emotional health and well-being of those who work for him, offering debriefing after significant events and ongoing support as needed.”
Others are applauding Heldman’s public service and friendship.
Former county commissioner Mark Gazarek who served two terms as commissioner recalled how Heldman befriended him when he came into office.
“When I took office, I didn’t know that much about how county government worked,” he said. “There were 6 or 7 people who I relied on to learn about county government,” he said. “Mike was one of them. He always took time to answer my questions about the sheriff’s office, which I was grateful for.”
“I think Mike and I had a similar philosophy about things,” Gazarek said. “Say what you mean but mean what you say.”
Ryan Kidwell retired in 2023 after 32 ½ years with the sheriff’s office. He served alongside Heldman in corrections, as jail coordinator, was active in state sheriff’s groups, and often traveled with Heldman to meetings in Columbus.
He said he considered Heldman a mentor who taught him about “hard work, being your best, and how to serve with compassion.”
“One of Mike’s goals was always to strengthen and further professionalize Corrections and improve our service to the Hancock County community,” Kidwell said. “He provided the Hancock County community with twenty-eight years of unselfish, dedicated service and has kept our community safe and a place we can be proud to call home.
“I was blessed to have served with one of the best.”
Note – A public retirement celebration for Sheriff Heldman will be held on Friday, January 3rd at the Old Mill Stream Centre beginning at 1:30 p.m. with a special presentation at 2.
