Chris Hodges, candidate for Brown County Sheriff. With the March 19 primary election just around the corner, current Brown County Sheriff Gordon Ellis has announced his endorsement of Chris Hodges in the race for the next Brown County Sheriff.
Ellis is retiring as sheriff and has decided to run for Brown County Commissioner. In the March 19 Republican Primary, Chris Hodges, chief deputy of the sheriff’s office, is running as a candidate against David Benjamin, who has worked in law enforcement for more than 30 years and currently serves as the police chief in the Village of Aberdeen.
“The county sheriff will lead the largest law enforcement agency in Brown County,” Ellis said in a recent letter to The News Democrat, Ripley Bee , and Brown County Press . “I would like to endorse Christopher Hodges as the next sheriff of Brown County. His training, experience, dedication, and integrity makes him the best candidate to lead the Brown County Sheriff’s Office into the future.”
Hodges also received endorsement from the Brown County Republican Central Committee during the committee’s endorsement meeting held last month.
“Chris demonstrated his commitment to being an exceptional sheriff years ago by enrolling and completing several police senior leadership courses. These courses included the Northwest University School of Police Command and Staff and the Certified Law Enforcement Executive Program. Chris then attended the F.B.I. National Academy, the highest senior police academy in the nation. Only one-percent of the police officers in the United States attend and graduate from the F.B.I. National Academy and Chris is in that number,” Ellis said.
Hodges currently serves as chief deputy at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, sworn in as chief deputy on Jan. 2, 2017 by Brown County Sheriff Gordon Ellis.
Hodges graduated from the Ohio Peace Officer Basic Academy in April 1999 at Hocking College, where he also earned his Associates of Applied Science Degree. His law enforcement journey began in the village of Fayetteville as an auxiliary police officer.
In February 2002, Hodges joined the Village of Mt. Orab. During his tenure with that department, Chris investigated a wide range of cases, from minor misdemeanors to homicides.
In July 2010, Hodges achieved the rank of sergeant and assumed the role of road patrol supervisor for the department.
From May 2019 to May 2020, Hodges stepped into the role of acting sheriff in Brown County during Brown County Sheriff Ellis’ deployment as a Major General in the Arabian Peninsula.
“I want to continue the progress that we have made in the Brown County Sheriff’s Office for the past seven years. I have been a police officer in Brown County for approximately 25 years with the last seven of those being the chief deputy of the sheriff’s office. During this time, I have helped lead the daily operations of the sheriff’s office with Sheriff Ellis and even served as the acting sheriff for one year during his deployment,” Hodges said in a response to Champion Media reporter Greg Haitz.
Hodges is a member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Child Fatality Review Board. He is also a long serving member of the Coalition for a Drug Free County.
“I have witnessed Chris take strong, principled stands during his tenure with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office. He has always placed the welfare of the Citizens of Brown County first, never failing to do the right thing, even when it has required self-sacrifice,” Sheriff Ellis said of Hodges in his endorsement letter. “Chris will personally respond to critical incidents and stay until the situation is resolved. He demonstrated this dedication recently when he arrived at an armed, barricaded subject situation and stayed until the situation was successfully resolved. He then assisted in the crime scene processing ensuring that all tasks were completed to standard.”
Benjamin started his career in law enforcement in 1993 after graduating from high school. He got his start as an officer with the Manchester Police Department in Adams County. In 1998, he started his job as a police officer in his hometown of Ripley, OH. Within a few years at the Ripley Police Department, Benjamin had climbed the ranks to lieutenant and became a K-9 handler with the RPD. It was in 2008 when Benjamin left the Ripley Police Department and took on the role as Winchester Police Department chief, his first opportunity to run a police department.
Benjamin served as the Winchester Police chief for 10 years before taking a job closer to home and becoming chief of the Aberdeen Police Department in 2018.
“I come from a law enforcement family where we have over a dozen members who have served or are serving. Throughout my lifetime, I’ve been conditioned to lead by example and as a leader you serve those who you lead into battle. I couldn’t be more blessed that in over 17 years of leadership my agencies have been very successful by serving with compassion, respect, kindness, and love,” Benjamin said in a response to Champion Media. “I have two associate degrees in applied science, and over 50 different certifications ranging from rope rescue, burglary investigation, impaired driving investigation, and multiple drug identification and investigation techniques.”
I addition to police chief of Aberdeen, Benjamin also serves as a pastor in the village.
“I want to keep this community safe from harm, joyful in their daily living, and secure in their homes - no different than what I want for my own family,” Benjamin said. “If you get the opportunity to meet me, you will see I am a man of faith and courage. No task is too big, and I will always enjoy the journey. If elected I will remain the pastor of the Aberdeen Main Cross Church and the director of God’s Grace Food Pantry.”
The deadline for voter registration for the March 19 Primary Election is Tuesday, Feb. 20.
In person absentee voting hours for the March 19 Primary Election are as follows:
- Wednesday, February 21, 2024 – Friday, February 23, 2024 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Monday, February 26, 2024 – Friday, March 1, 2024 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Monday, March 4, 2024 – Friday, March 8, 2023 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Saturday, March 9, 2024 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Monday, March 11, 2024 7:30 am to 7:30 pm
- Tuesday, March 12, 2024 7:30 am to 8:30 pm
- Wednesday, March 13, 2024– Friday, March 15, 2024 7:30 am to 7:30 pm
- Saturday, March 16, 2024 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Sunday, March 17, 2024 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
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