Sheriff Chris Lane was elected on November 8, 2022 as the 59th Sheriff of Bartholomew County after running unopposed in both the primary and general election. He was sworn in for his first term in office on December 30, 2022, and immediately set to work on the priorities he has outlined for his term in office.
Sheriff Lane has dedicated over 30 years to law enforcement. During this time, he has served in a variety of positions, including patrol, supervision, administration, and investigations. He was appointed as Chief Deputy of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department from 2015 - 2022. Sheriff Lane is also a 2019 graduate of the FBI National Academy, joining an elite group that makes up less than 1% of America’s law enforcement community.
Sheriff Lane is steadfast in his dedication to both the community and the law enforcement officers under his command. During his term, he has prioritized drug enforcement, efficiency and innovation, employee retention, mental and physical resilience of law enforcement, and partnerships with community and law enforcement organizations. Sheriff Lane and his team will continue to work with the Columbus Police Department, Indiana State Police, DEA, FBI, the local fire departments, first responders, and prosecutors. He will continue to provide a law enforcement voice for community organizations and agencies in an effort to strengthen Community Policing.
Sheriff Lane resides in Bartholomew County with his wife, Connie, and two adult children, David and Blake.
Duties of the Sheriff
(a) The sheriff shall:
(1) arrest without process persons who commit an offense within the sheriff's view, take them before a court of the county having jurisdiction, and detain them in custody until the cause of the arrest has been investigated;
(2) suppress breaches of the peace, calling the power of the county to the sheriff's aid if necessary;
(3) pursue and jail felons;
(4) execute all process directed to the sheriff by legal authority;
(5) serve all process directed to the sheriff from a court or the county executive;
(6) attend and preserve order in all courts of the county;
(7) take care of the county jail and the prisoners there;
(8) take photographs, fingerprints, and other identification data as the sheriff shall prescribe of persons taken into custody for felonies or misdemeanors; and
(9) on or before January 31 and June 30 of each year, provide to the department of correction the average daily cost of incarcerating a prisoner in the county jail as determined under the methodology developed by the department of correction under IC 11-10-13.
(b) A person who:
(1) refuses to be photographed;
(2) refuses to be fingerprinted;
(3) withholds information; or
(4) gives false information;
as prescribed in subsection (a)(8), commits a Class C misdemeanor.
(c) The sheriff may supervise and inspect all pawnbrokers, vendors, junkshop keepers, cartmen, expressmen, dealers in secondhand merchandise, intelligence offices, and auctions. The sheriff may authorize any deputy in writing to exercise the same powers.
Major John Martoccia, Chief Deputy
John Martoccia is a graduate of Columbus East High School and Vincennes University. He started his law enforcement career with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office in 1995 as a Corrections Officer before being promoted to a Merit Deputy in 1995 and attending the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Since that time, Major Martoccia has held every rank at the department and has served as a patrol deputy, patrol Sgt., patrol Lt., detective, narcotics detective and jail commander. Major Martoccia is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, attended by fewer than 1% of the nation’s law enforcement officers, thus joining an elite group of police professionals.
In his position as Chief Deputy of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Major Martoccia oversees the Sheriff’s Office in the absence of the Sheriff.
Major Martoccia resides in Bartholomew County with his wife, Aimee, and their three children.
Major Brandon Slate, Operations
Brandon Slate is a graduate of Columbus North High School. He started his law enforcement career with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office in 2003 as a Corrections Officer before being promoted to a Merit Deputy in 2007 and attending the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy, where he graduated as an honor graduate. Since that time, Major Slate has served the department as patrol deputy, patrol Sgt., patrol Lt., detective, narcotics detective, and Captain.
In his position as Major of Operations, of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Major Slate oversees the day-to-day operations of the department.
Major Slate resides in Bartholomew County with his wife, Ashley, and their two children.
Captain Chris Roberts, Criminal Investigations
Chris Roberts is a graduate of Columbus North high school. He started his law enforcement career with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office in 1994. Since that time, Captain Roberts has served the department as patrol deputy, Merit Sgt., Detective, Lt. Detective, and has served as the Criminal Investigations Division Captain for the last eight years. Captain Roberts has also previously served as leader of the Dive Team, Deputy Commander of Water Rescue and Domestic Violence Coordinator.
In his position as Captain of Criminal Investigations, of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Captain Roberts oversees the operations of the Criminal Investigations Units.
Captain Roberts resides in Bartholomew County with his wife, Jennifer.
Captain Justin Arnholt, Jail Commander
Justin Arnholt is a graduate of Columbus North High School. He started his law enforcement career with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office in 1997 as a Corrections Officer before being promoted to a Merit Deputy in 2003 and attending the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Since that time, Captain Arnholt has served the department as patrol deputy, field training officer, patrol Sgt., and patrol Lt.
In his position as Jail Captain, of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Captain Arnholt oversees the day-to-day operations of the corrections division.
Captain Arnholt resides in Bartholomew County with his wife, Summer, and their two children.
Captain TA Smith, Road Division Commander
T.A. Smith is a graduate of South Decatur High School and attended college at IUPUC and University of Virginia. He started his law enforcement career with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office in 1983. Since that time, Captain Smith has served the department as patrol deputy, patrol Sgt., patrol Lt., Captain, Major and Chief Deputy. Captain Smith is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (2004), attended by fewer than 1% of the nation’s law enforcement officers, thus joining an elite group of police professionals.
In his position as Uniform Division Captain, of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Captain Smith oversees the day-to-day operations of the uniform division.
Captain Smith resides in Bartholomew County with his wife, Becky, also a retired Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office Sgt.
Bobbie Shake, Sheriff's Office Matron
Bobbie Shake is a graduate of Heritage Hills High School and Penn Foster College. Bobbie Joined the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office in 2023.
In her position as Sheriff’s Office Matron she is responsible for many duties, including; payroll, bookkeeping, management of the records division, and managing the budget – just to name a few!
Matron Shake resides in Bartholomew County with her husband, Jeremy and their four children.
For over 25 years, the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office has been actively involved with the Drug Abuse Resistance Program (D.A.R.E. - Drug Abuse Resistance Education). The collaborative effort with the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation has achieved a high level of success.
Sgt. Whipker began his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a Merit Deputy in 2015. Prior to his service with BCSO, Whipker served as a Probation Officer with the Greenwood, IN Probation Department. He is a graduate of Columbus East High School and holds a Criminal Justice degree from IUPUI and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from IUPUC. He has been a D.A.R.E. Instructor since 2018.
Deputy Medina began his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a Merit Deputy in 2022. He completed the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy as an honor graduate & has over 10 years of experience working with youth and young adults in a variety of different capacities. He became a DARE officer in 2023.
Deputy Burkholder began his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a Merit Deputy in 2022. Prior to his service with BCSO, Burkholder served as a 911 Dispatcher for the Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center and a Corrections Officer. Deputy Burkholder is a graduate of Columbus North High School, and holds a Criminal Justice degree from Ivy Tech Community College.
The Sheriff’s Youth Academy was started in 2015, under Sheriff Matt Myers. This academy was designed by law enforcement professionals, to provide children with a real understanding of the law enforcement experience. The Youth Academy provides Bartholomew County’s youth with a unique opportunity to focus on strengthening their life skills of self-respect, respect of others, teamwork and commitment to achieving their goals. This program also strengthens the bond between our youth and law enforcement.
Pack a Patrol Car was started in 2015, under Sheriff Matt Myers as a way for the agency to better serve the community. In the Fall, members of the Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office collect canned goods by "packing a patrol car" full and donating them to local food banks.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff's Office has a crash reconstruction team consisting of three deputies trained by the Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM). Our team currently uses state-of-the-art Trimble equipment, making our department stand out with advanced technology for scene documentation.
| The Field Training Officer Program (FTO) is designed to provide on-the-job training for all new deputies. Even deputies with experience from another department are required to complete the FTO program. The program offers training on all aspects of law enforcement, some that may be unique to Bartholomew County. The program is comprised of three phases that build upon each other. Not everyone is qualified to become an FTO, deputies that have a good foundation and have demonstrated a mastery of skills and knowledge of the job, coupled with the ability to mentor and teach are chosen for this extremely important role at our agency. Our agency currently has five certified Field Training Officers. |  |
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard is comprised of a select number of uniformed officers from different divisions within the agency. These uniformed officers are a reflection of the agency and represent the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office at police funerals, public events, and memorial services throughout the state of Indiana.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office has utilized police dogs for over 30 years. The Sheriff’s Office first canine team was Pete Ivy and a German Shepherd named Heiko. Since then, there have been nine K-9 teams at the department. Currently the department has 2 canine teams. The K-9 unit plays a vital role in keeping our community safe. Our K-9’s are dual purpose police dogs and are trained in narcotics detection, building search, article/evidence recovery, handler protection and apprehension.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office Crisis Negotiation Team consists of 2 deputies, who assist the Columbus Police Department. These deputies have undergone specialized training in communication with subjects in stressed induced situations. A negotiators main goal is to bring about a non-violent ending to a crisis situation. A negotiator is often asked to intervene in suicide attempts, barricaded subjects, domestic violence incidents as well as hostage situations. These members maintain 24/7 responsibility for the team while fulfilling their full time duties within the Sheriff’s Office.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office Drone Team consists of (7) deputies. The Drone Unit has a variety of public safety missions, including locating missing people, locating suspects avoiding apprehension, photographing collision and crimes scenes with an aerial view, and other various public safety goals.
| The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office joined forces with the Columbus Police Department to form a joint Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) in 2016. There are currently six members of the department dedicated to SWAT. The SWAT team operators train multiple times per month in areas including high risk warrant execution, hostage rescue, barricaded subjects, and open area searches. The SWAT team also has officers specially trained in breaching, chemical/less than lethal tactics, and Sniper applications. |  |
DIVE and Water Rescue
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office formed a dive and water rescue team in 1992. The deputies assigned to this unit are on call 24/7. There are currently 12 deputies assigned to the unit with three of them being assigned as divers. The BCSO Water Rescue/Dive Unit utilizes inflatable boats, air boats and other specialized equipment.
School Resource Officer (SRO)
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer Program has a long-standing relationship with the Bartholomew Counsolidated School Corporation (BCSC) and Flat Rock- Hawcreek School Corporation. Beginning in 2019, a deputy from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office has been assigned to each of the school districts as their full time assignment to meet the needs of the students, staff and visitors. These deputies handle a multitude of different functions within the school to provide a safe learning environment for the students and teachers and bridge the gap between law enforcement and our youth.
Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET)
The Joint Narcotic’s Enforcement Team (JNET) was established in 2015 as a way to unite local efforts to aggressively pursue drug dealers in our community. JNET is made up of undercover officers from the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Police Department and a Bartholomew County Deputy Prosecutor. Additionally, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office has taken one step further to aggressively pursue those trafficking narcotics into Bartholomew County with the assignment of a deputy to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Intelligence Led Policing (ILP)
Intelligence Led Policing (ILP) is a transition from traditional policing methods to improving public safety, reducing crime and making the best use of resources by centralizing all intelligence information, analyzing the intelligence and providing actionable direction for law enforcement activities. The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office joined forces with the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office by assigning a deputy to the ILP unit in 2019. Today, the relationship between the three agencies collaborating together has helped reduce crime in Bartholomew County.
Visiting Hours - Visiting hours are assigned by the cell that the inmate is assigned to. These can change if the inmate is moved by their own request or for other reasons. Additionally, visitors can schedule a visitation through HomeWav and come to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday or Sunday on from 0700-2200 hours for visitation hours.
Bonds - Cash bonds are accepted at the Clerk’s Office Monday – Friday between the hours of 8 AM – 5 PM. After 5pm bonds are paid at the jail. We accept cash and credit card bonds at the jail.
To find out if someone is in jail, please call: 812-379-1750 option #2
Property - Property is no longer accepted. All clothing and inmate footwear can be purchased off of commissary.
Jail Management Staff
Tim Burdine, Captain - Corrections Division
Tim Burdine is a graduate of Columbus North High School and Indiana University, where he received his Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology.
Captain Burdine began his law enforcement career with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office in 2008 as a Corrections Officer. Since that time, Captain Burdine has served the Corrections Division as a: Field Training Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant and Captain.
In his position of Deputy Jail Commander of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Captain Burdine oversees scheduling, personnel, manpower, staff recruitment/retention, and the day-to-day operations of the Corrections Division. Captain Burdine is also the Commander for the Emergency Response Team.
Captain Burdine resides in Bartholomew County with his wife and their four children.
Courtney Fisher, Lt. - Corrections Division
Courtney Fisher is a graduate from Columbus East High School. She has been employed with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Division since 2013. Since that time, Lieutenant Fisher has served the Corrections Division as a Field Training Officer, Field Training Coordinator, Jail Investigator, Sergeant, and now Lieutenant. In her position as Lieutenant of Corrections of the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, Lieutenant Fisher oversees the daily operations of jail.
Lieutenant Fisher resides in Bartholomew County with her husband.
James Greenlee, Lt. - Corrections Division
James Greenlee is a graduate of Columbus North High School and Trine University. He is a United States Army veteran, having served tours in Afghanistan. Lieutenant Greenlee has been employed with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office for over a decade, and has served the Corrections Division as a Corrections Officer, Classification Officer, and Shift Sergeant. He is also a certified instructor in a number of areas, including Defensive Tactics and Firearms. In his position as Lieutenant, James Greenlee is responsible for second and third shift jail operations.
Lieutenant Greenlee resides in Bartholomew County with his wife, Emily, and their five children.
The Bartholomew County Courthouse has a team of dedicated officers that are assigned to each of the three major courtrooms, conduct security checks at the front entrance, patrols the courthouse halls and other law enforcement functions. These officers fall under the Correctional Officers section of our department, but are their own separate entity.
SRI is now conducting the Bartholomew County Sheriff Sales.
For Sheriff Sale Information, please click on the SRI Link.
Each Bartholomew County Sheriff Sale is held at 543 Second Street, Columbus, Indiana on the first Tuesday of each month at 1000 am unless posted otherwise on the SRI Link.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW CURRENT SHERIFF SALE INFORMATION
A number of you have recently reached out with questions and concerns regarding the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office policies, procedures, and training. We appreciate and understand your concerns. In an effort to respond quickly, we are providing the following information, which addresses the questions and concerns raised.
Chris Lane, Sheriff
Bartholomew County, Indiana
