Trending
WHEELING - Retired Ohio County Sheriff’s Deputy Nelson Croft always wanted to be sheriff of Ohio County, and he is making a run for the job in the 2024 election.
Croft, 53, took the job as director of the Ohio County Animal Shelter after retiring in February 2022. He is a candidate for the Republican nominee for sheriff on the May 14 primary election ballot.
Croft said he enjoys his job at the animal shelter, but his heart remains in law enforcement.
"It's been my goal since starting my career," he explained. "I didn't want to retire, but I had to if I wanted to run for sheriff this year. I feel I still have a lot to offer the community."
In the meantime, the job at the animal shelter became available.
"There were things they wanted me to fix at the shelter, and I have done that," Croft continued. "I think I’ve done well there.
"I have a heart for it, but my heart is still in law enforcement."
Croft worked 31 years in law enforcement, spending the first four and a half years working in corrections. He held a supervisory role at the sheriff's department for 22 years.
Croft noted his current position at the animal shelter also has prepared him to take on the tax office duties of his job.
"Maybe two years ago I would not have been that comfortable in the tax office," he said. "But since I've been at the shelter, I've become very comfortable with it. And there are already good workers in the tax office.
"When something is working, you don't come in to make change for the sake of change."
Croft said what sets him apart from other candidates is his ability to see beyond the arrest side. He favors prevention and treatment programs.
Croft added there also needs to be more emphasis on assisting those battling addiction after completing drug treatment.
"The valley is on an uptick, and we need to look at hiring people coming out of incarceration," he said. "I think the recidivism can go down, and it has, due to drug court."
He said the area's mental hygiene program "is broken."
"It has improved, but it's still not in shape. We can push our legislators to take a look at it," Croft explained. "We're not going to get it done in four or eight years. But if we can get a grip on our drug problem and improve the mental health system, we can drastically reduce our homelessness in the area.
"I can't do anything about homeless camps. What I can do is try to solve mental health and drug problems in the state. With those solved, we can go a long way toward solving the homeless problem."
Croft also wants to cut down the amount of fentanyl coming into the county, and increase the visibility of patrol cars in outlying neighborhoods.
In addition, watching the spending of the sheriff's department is also important, he added.
"I bought my first house at age 20," he said. "We need to be transparent about how and where we are spending, and show fiscal responsibility."
Croft faces former chief deputy Charlie Murphy in the May 14 GOP primary.
The winner of the primary faces a third former deputy, Democrat Howard "John" Haglock, in the Nov. 5 general election. Haglock is running unopposed.