Sheriff Richard K. Jones

Richard K. Jones, known as “Jonesy” to his friends, was born on October 11, 1953 in Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio. After graduating from the Hamilton City School system, he volunteered for the military draft where he served from 1973 to 1975 as a combat engineer and was promoted to the rank of Specialist 4 during his two-year enlistment.

Upon completion of his term in the military, a young Rick accepted a position in 1976 with the State of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections working as a Corrections Officer. His career with the Ohio prison system presented him with the opportunity to learn many new skills as he advanced through the ranks. During his employment with the prison system, Rick advanced from a Corrections Officer to an Education Specialist and then to the position of Training Officer where he was responsible for the training of over 400 employees.

In 1985 Rick was promoted to the rank of Senior Captain and was responsible for the prison’s security audits. He served in this capacity of Senior Captain and the Warden’s designee for inmate appeals from 1985 to 1990 when he was promoted to the rank of Major.

He served as Major at the Lebanon Correctional Institute from 1990 until he accepted the position as Chief Deputy of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office in 1993.

During his twelve-year tenure as the Butler County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy, he orchestrated acquiring more deputies for patrol, which enhanced the Sheriff’s Office by providing a quicker response to calls for service. He has worked hard to help make more jail cells available to lock up more criminals and increase the productivity and efficiency of the office through computer automation.

His formal education began in 1977 at Hocking Technical College where he received an Associate Degree in Corrections in 1979. He then attended Wilmington College where he graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. In 1984 he earned a Master Degree in Corrections from Xavier University.

Richard K. Jones was elected to serve as the 45th Sheriff of Butler County, Ohio in November, 2004. He took over the office on Monday January 3, 2005. He was elected to serve his fifth term as our Sheriff in November 2020.

Sheriff Jones’ history as an administrator of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office for over 25 years reflects a continuing dedication and commitment to the safety of everyone in Butler County.