Sheriff’s Commissary Spending, Golf Outings Spark County Accountability Push
Dubois County elected leaders pressed Sheriff Tom Kleinhelter at an October 27 council meeting over more than $50,000 in recent commissary expenditures, including a $938 hotel charge, even as he sought funding for two new deputies. The scrutiny follows a multi-year trail of audits, reimbursements and investigations, and newly revealed work-hour golf reservations, that raise questions about fiscal stewardship, staffing priorities and public trust in county law enforcement.
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Dubois County Council members confronted Sheriff Tom Kleinhelter on October 27 in Jasper about recent commissary spending that local records show totaled more than $50,000 and included a $938 hotel stay, amid the sheriff’s formal request for funding to add two deputy positions. Council President Mike Kluesner and Councilor Ryan Craig pushed for detailed ledgers and data supporting the asserted need for additional personnel, particularly deputies tasked with child protection duties and maintaining the sex offender registry.
The council-level scrutiny is the latest episode in a documentable series of reviews and disclosures that have shadowed Kleinhelter’s tenure. A 2024 State Board of Accounts audit identified roughly $78,000 in questionable commissary charges, with auditors singling out $16,774 in unverified expenditures tied to personal travel and gifts; Kleinhelter repaid that $16,774 on June 27, 2024. Public records additionally show a May 16, 2023 Dubai trip booked on the sheriff’s personal card and later reimbursed through the commissary fund, and a $14,747 Delta refund posted January 18, 2024 tied to the cancelled trip.
Investigations followed. The Indiana State Police interviewed Kleinhelter in August 2024, and ISP Lt. Jeff Hearon later filed an affidavit detailing discrepancies in how refunds and commissary transactions were handled. A special prosecutor declined to file criminal charges in February 2025. Still, the administrative scrutiny continued: former ISP Superintendent Doug Carter alleged on July 25, 2025 that the investigation had been stalled under Governor Mike Braun’s administration, and the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board in late August 2025 considered decertification proceedings on allegations including fraud.
Fresh public records obtained after the council meeting showed 17 golf reservations linked to Kleinhelter between May and September 2025, 12 of which were logged during normal work hours. Those entries reinvigorated calls from the Dubois County Democratic Party for the sheriff’s resignation and intensified local debate about how leadership conduct and use of jail commissary funds intersect with county priorities.
The local policy stakes are tangible. Commissary funds are designated for jail needs, and critics contend that diversion to hotel stays, gifts, or personal expenses undermines fiscal accountability in a rural county with constrained resources. At the same time, Kleinhelter’s request for two deputies would increase staffing costs; council members said they require transparent, itemized justification before approving additional recurring spending from the county budget.
For residents, the controversy touches both governance and public safety. Questions over leadership credibility can affect community confidence in law enforcement and complicate decisions about how limited taxpayer dollars are allocated between personnel, training and direct jail services.
Outstanding items remain: the outcome of the Training Board’s decertification review, any further State Board of Accounts follow-up audits, and the Dubois County Council’s impending decision on deputy funding. Local officials and watchdogs say they will monitor those developments closely, and additional public records requests and future council meetings are likely to determine whether the recent disclosures prompt policy changes or formal disciplinary action.
