Two law enforcement veterans, John Haglock and Nelson Croft, are both announcing their candidacy to be the next Ohio County Sheriff.

Haglock, who is running as a Democrat, has over 30 years of law enforcement experience. After being in the Army, Haglock was an officer of the law e in the City of Benwood, The Town of Bethlehem, and eventually retired from the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office.

While serving as an Ohio County Deputy John won several awards including WV Prevention Resource Officer – Rookie of the Year, WV Prevention Resource Officer of the Year, and The Champion for Children Award from the United States Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of West Virginia.

Haglock says he shares conservative family values that are the backbone of this community. He says he is tough on integrity, commitment, and service to the community. He shares that he is tough on crime and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He says he is a firm believer in hard work and dedication as the building blocks of a stronger and safer community.

Haglock believes he can reinforce the relationships with other local law enforcement agencies and collaborate with them to make Ohio County a safe place to live, work and raise a family.

Nelson Croft is running on the opposite side of the ticket as a Republican.

Croft has worked for the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office for 31.5 years.

Croft started as a corrections officer and became a Deputy Sheriff and quickly rose through the ranks. After being one of the first officers assigned strictly to school for 2.5 years, Croft spent the next 22 years in a supervisory position at the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, from lieutenant and eventually Major until he retired in 2022.

Croft was also placed in charge of the entire patrol division by current Sheriff Tom Howard.

Croft says he was trained by the FBI as a law enforcement instructor. He was certified as a firearms instructor ( Pistol, Shotgun, patrol rifle) by the WV State Police and the National Rifle Association and held the position of training officer for 25 years at the Sheriff’s Office.

Croft also serves on the advisory board of the Wheeling YWCA’s WIND program which is an intense inpatient drug rehabilitation program designed for women for are addicts.  He says this gives him an inside edge to add treatment to those affected by the opioid and other drug epidemics along with vigorous enforcement of our laws.

The Primary election in West Virginia is in May of 2024 to vote for each party’s respected candidate and the General Election to vote for the new Ohio County Sheriff is in November of 2024.