THE APEX TIMES
Current Sheriff Scottie Maples failed to win re-nomination in Indiana’s Republican primary, setting up a three-candidate race featuring former chiefs Dwight Ingle, Kenny Kavanaugh and Tim Deeringer.
The race for sheriff in Indiana’s Clark County is headed to a rematch of sorts after Sheriff Scottie Maples lost the Republican nomination in Indiana’s primary election, according to local reporting. With Maples not advancing on the ballot for the general election, three former police chiefs have emerged as candidates seeking to take over the county’s top law-enforcement post.
WAVE reported that independent candidate Dwight Ingle, Republican nominee Kenny Kavanaugh, and Democrat Tim Deeringer are all former police chiefs. The three candidates are campaigning for the sheriff’s role, an office responsible for county law enforcement, court security, jail operations and enforcement of state criminal laws within the sheriff’s jurisdiction.
Maples’ inability to secure the Republican nomination means the sheriff’s office will likely see a leadership change through the next electoral process rather than continuity. The development also shifts the partisan landscape of the race, with a candidate running as an independent and the other two aligned with major parties.
Kenny Kavanaugh is listed by WAVE as a former police chief running on the Republican ticket. Tim Deeringer is seeking the office as a Democrat, and Dwight Ingle is seeking the post as an independent, creating a three-way contest that will test the county’s preferences across party lines and prior law-enforcement leadership.
The three-candidate field also underscores the political value of prior experience in policing leadership roles. While sheriff is a distinct office from municipal police chief, prior chief-level work is often used by candidates to frame their familiarity with department operations, budgeting needs, staffing decisions and public-safety management.
Voters will now decide who will be the next Clark County sheriff in the election following the primary, after Maples’ loss of the Republican nomination closed the door on another term under the current incumbent’s party label. Absent further reporting or official election materials, the next steps for the candidates are to continue campaigning ahead of the general election and to make their qualifications and enforcement priorities known to the public.