Hancock County Sheriff's Office

06/09/2026

PREES RELEASE

Two-Vehicle Crash with Entrapment Investigated on WV Route 2
NEWELL, W.Va. – At approximately 3:09 p.m. on June 9, 2026, Hancock County 911 received a report from Ergon West Virginia of a two-vehicle crash with entrapment and injuries on WV Route 2.
Ergon employees and passing motorists stopped to assist those involved before emergency responders arrived.
The Newell Volunteer Fire Department extricated a male driver trapped inside a vehicle. Emergency Medical Services personnel treated both drivers at the scene and transported them to East Liverpool City Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
WV Route 2 was closed for several hours while emergency personnel responded and investigators processed the scene.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. No additional information is being released at this time.
Responding agencies thank Ergon employees, passing motorists, and all emergency responders for their prompt assistance during this incident.

05/14/2026

The Hancock County Sheriff's Office appreciates the generous donation of Subway subs from Hancock County Savings Bank to honor our deputies during National Police Week.

05/08/2026

05/01/2026

The Weirton Police Department has been receiving calls from concerned citizens about scam phone calls. During these scam calls, they are saying you have a capias or warrant, that must be paid over the phone. We advise you not to give out any personal information over the phone. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to the police department. Thank you.

05/01/2026

A scam has been reported where individuals are identifying themselves as Hancock County Sheriff Deputies, making phone calls to request people to meet to pay bail or fines with either with cash or prepaid cards or bitcoin.

Please do not give these people any information or money. The Sheriff's Office would not call and inform you that you have a warrant and ask for money. Thank you

05/01/2026

Effective April 30th, K-9 Kevin, who joined the Hancock County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit in June 2019 with handler DFC DiJirolanio, has officially entered retirement, transitioning to a life where he can indulge in the simple joys of being a dog.

04/28/2026

The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office would like to highlight several ways we have worked responsibly to save taxpayer dollars while maintaining public safety.

Since 2021, we have added four K9 units—without any cost to taxpayers. Every dollar for their purchase and training was secured through donations, thanks to the outstanding efforts of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy Association.

Another major cost-saving resource is our Sheriff’s Reserves. These dedicated volunteers assist with road closures and other non-law enforcement duties at all hours and in all conditions. Their service significantly reduces overtime expenses, allowing us to direct limited funding toward critical patrol positions, the very positions currently being considered for cuts. While they are not sworn officers, their contributions are invaluable, and we are extremely grateful for their commitment.

In terms of grants and federal funding, it has been stated that a “grant program” was initiated. While hiring a grant writer is helpful, it is not a program by itself. Our office actively identifies opportunities, gathers required information, and works closely with grant writer Joe Edmiston to secure funding. Through this collaborative effort, we have obtained approximately $870,000. These funds have been used to purchase seven vehicles, body cameras, in-car cameras, and ballistic vests, with roughly $140,000 remaining for technology upgrades and radios. (The vests were secured by our administrative staff.)

There has also been a misrepresentation regarding $40,000 in federal funds intended for a training/conference room. It is true the funds were not used within the required timeframe. However, this delay was largely due to the need for demolition work. When we sought to move forward, the Commission preferred that county maintenance staff complete the work to save money. While we agreed, those staff members are already stretched thin, and the project was delayed without a clear timeline. Additionally, the claim that this room would save over $100,000 annually on training costs is inaccurate. Our entire annual training budget is approximately $18,000, and we are unsure how that figure was calculated along with other “Data”

We also recognize the broader financial challenges facing the county. The most significant loss has been the reduction of video lottery revenue from Mountaineer Park—an amount equal to or greater than the current deficit. Commissioners Chek and Cowey were in office at the time this occurred, yet no action was taken. In contrast, I contacted both of our state senators and spoke directly with the governor, though the issue remains unresolved.

At the same time, there are positive economic indicators on the horizon, including new and expanding developments such as Bidell in Weirton, the hydroelectric project in New Cumberland, and growth at Ergon and Nucor. With these improvements, it raises an important question: why implement deep cuts now?

There are reasonable alternatives. Even without our voluntary 5% reduction, the county has options to address short-term budget gaps without exhausting reserves. For example, other counties have used opioid settlement funds to support law enforcement and jail-related expenses. Despite holding these funds for nearly four years, our requests for support—particularly for Drug Task Force manpower, cameras, and other resources—have been denied.

As of March 31, 2026, the county maintains over $4 million in reserve accounts. We are not suggesting these funds be depleted, but using a small portion—approximately 2% over 2 years—to bridge short-term gaps is both reasonable and fiscally responsible.

Funds include:

1. Capital Improvement Investment $1,373.114.74

2. Special Projects CD $1,006,813.96

3. Rainey Day Fund CD’s $1,280,586.37

4. Long term Capital CD $319,083.19

5. Capital Improvement CD $105,514.75

Total $4,085,113.01

One concern throughout this process has been the consistent presentation of misleading or incomplete information. In 2024 they claimed they were telling us about that trouble was coming, the Commission approved a larger budget for 2024–2025, then proposed a 30% reduction for 2025–2026. We ultimately took close to an 18% cut, losing 5 positions. Despite Commissioner Cowey claims a 12% cut for the rest of the county that is just smoke and mirrors. If you look at the number and take the entire budget minus Public Safety, there is only a 1.1% cut. During this same period, the Commission office’s own budget increased, and they were handing out raises, while the Sheriff’s Office eliminated five positions.

There are also ongoing discrepancies in how our budget is represented. Figures attributed to the Sheriff’s Office often include categories beyond our operational control, such as PROs and courthouse security. When these are properly separated, the numbers presented publicly do not align, leaving significant unexplained differences.

Ultimately, there are more effective and responsible solutions than reducing the Sheriff’s Office budget by 15%. The question that remains is whether this effort is truly about balancing the budget—or is it just a way to promote an agenda to Defund this Sheriffs’ Office.

This is not Politics it is working to safeguard the Safety and Welfare of this County. We have been willing to work with commissioners, coming up with another 5% cut this coming year. But Commissioners Cowey and Chek have showed absolutely no intention of working with us.

04/21/2026

We want to address the claim that the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office is overstaffed and over budgeted. The information that has been shared with news media and on social media—stating that the Sheriff’s Office has the second-highest percentage of the total county budget—is misleading.

That comparison does not account for what is actually included in Hancock County’s sheriff budget versus what other counties include in theirs. For example, we currently have six Prevention Resource Officers (PROs), whose salaries are reimbursed by the Board of Education. While those funds pass through the county budget, they artificially inflate the Sheriff’s Office budget and do not reflect actual county spending.

Additionally, courthouse security is included under the Sheriff’s Office budget, even though it serves the entire courthouse and is not specific to the operational needs of the Sheriff’s Office. Many counties in West Virginia do not include PROs or courthouse security in their sheriff budgets, making these comparisons uneven and not a true “apples-to-apples” evaluation.

A more accurate way to compare spending is to focus on the core operational budget—specifically the 700 and 701 line items—which represent what sheriff’s offices actually use to operate. An even better comparison is to evaluate spending on a per-person basis, using county population.

Using 2020 U.S. Census data and the 2025–2026 budget year:

· Hancock County ranks 12th in the state for per-person spending on the Sheriff’s Office.

· Hancock ranks 24th in per-person spending on overall public safety.

· Among the six counties in the Northern Ohio River Valley, Hancock ranks 5th in sheriff spending per person and last in public safety spending per person.

· If you factor in the 5% cut we propose, Hancock Sheriff’s Office would fall to 16th in the State and last in the Northern Ohio River Valley.

These regional comparisons are especially important because they reflect counties with similar demographics. It’s also worth noting that the proposed 5% budget reduction will further decrease Hancock County’s per-person spending.

Regarding staffing levels, claims that the Sheriff’s Office is overstaffed are not supported by national data. According to FBI statistics (2019 Crime in the U.S., Table 71), law enforcement staffing averages range from 1.6 to 4.2 officers per 1,000 residents, with an overall average of 2.3. For sheriff offices specifically, the national average is 2.8 deputies per 1,000 residents.

Applying those figures:

· Using Hancock County’s full population (27,729), staffing would range from 44 to 77 deputies.

· Even using a reduced service population estimate of 14,500 (excluding incorporated cities), the range would be 23 to 40 deputies.

A reasonable and conservative benchmark is 2 deputies per 1,000 residents. Using the 14,500-population figure, that equates to 29 deputies.

Currently, the Sheriff’s Office has 25 positions. However, six of those are PROs who are reimbursed by the Board of Education and spend over 95% of their time in schools, not performing standard sheriff’s office duties. This means the effective number of deputies available for core operations is significantly lower.

It’s also important to recognize that the Sheriff’s Office provides services countywide. Deputies frequently respond to calls in New Cumberland and Chester when city units are unavailable and assist on more than 50% of their calls. Assistance is also provided to Weirton when needed, just as those departments assist the Sheriff’s Office.

Beyond patrol responsibilities, the Sheriff’s Office handles civil and criminal process service, mental hygiene pickups, and inmate transportation. These duties are time-intensive—mental hygiene cases alone can take 6 hours without transport and up to 18–24 hours with transport, often requiring multiple deputies at different stages.

When all responsibilities and staffing realities are considered, the current staffing level is not excessive and is, in fact, below reasonable benchmarks.

On the 3rd upcoming post we will address more on the funding available and the reasons, we believe for the short comings.

The Hancock County Sheriff’s office is being “Defunded” plain and simple!

04/17/2026

The Hancock County Sheriff's Administration Office will be closed Monday morning, April 20th. The office will open at 11:00 AM.

02/05/2026

Please be aware, there are people calling identifying as an Hancock County Sheriffs Officer and claiming there are warrants for your or a family members arrest and asking for money. Please do not give any information. If you have any doubts please just call the Hancock County Sheriff's Office.