HISTORY of the IONIA COUNTY OFFICE OF SHERIFF

Dwain Dennis Sheriff

Most people have heard that George Washington is the father of our country, but few know that the father of the father of our country was one of our first Sheriffs. That’s right, Augustine Washington actually held the position of sheriff for a brief period of time here in the United States as did one other very notable person in our history. President Grover Cleveland left his law practice in 1870 to run for the office of Sheriff on the Democrat ticket in Buffalo New York. Cleveland won that race by an overwhelming margin only to return to his law practice three years later. Not content to stay out of politics, Cleveland also ran for and was elected to the position of mayor of Buffalo and of course, later the presidency.

The office of Sheriff is the most venerable law enforcement office in our country. The word “Sheriff was evolved from the Saxon word “Scyre”, signifying shire, meaning county and the word “Reve” signifying keeper. The pronunciation or enunciation of these two words combined, developed by a quasi process of evolution into the modern word “Sheriff”. Historically, the “Reve” was selected by the King of England to provide security and collect taxes for the king. “Reves” were given a particular geographic area of responsibility. The original concepts of the office of sheriff accompanied the settlers from England and remain as the foundation of the current office of sheriff.

The Sheriff is the only Law Enforcement officer who is selected solely by the people, to represent the people of a particular county. Although their responsibilities vary from state to state, the office of sheriff is present in all but one state, that being Connecticut. Anderson publication of “a treatise on the law of Sheriff”, which is one of the first publications on the office of sheriff in the United States, defines the authority, powers and duties of the sheriff. According to Anderson, the office of sheriff carries with it, both in England and in America, all of the common law powers, duties, and responsibilities attendant upon an office of such antiquity and high dignity, except, insofar as the same have been legally modified within the constitution ambit of legislative enactments. Anderson continues by stating that it is not only the power, but the duty, of the sheriff in their various jurisdictions to preserve the peace, enforce the laws and arrest and commit to jail felons and other infractors of statutory or common law, and to execute all process to him directed and attend upon the trial courts of record and to preserve peace and quiet, to execute and carry out the mandates, orders and direction of the courts. Anderson goes on with it’s somewhat flowery and archaic language to highlight some of the more outdated practices of the sheriff, such as having the responsibility and power to “command all people of his county to attend him; which is called the posse comitatus, or the power of the county; for the purpose of enforcing the laws, thus the inception of the sheriff’s posse, which remains active in nearly every sheriff’s office today.

In more recent history the duties and responsibilities of the sheriff (and his staff) are outlined in the Michigan Compiled Law. The sheriff of every county in Michigan is elected, by the citizens of that county, to serve a four-year term of office. A sheriff is not “term limited”, meaning that the voters may, or may not, re-elect him or her for multiple terms of office.

The county sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer in the county and has jurisdiction everywhere within that county. The duties of the sheriff include, but are not limited to, maintaining a jail, road and marine patrol, complaint investigation, civil process, court security and attending to all other matters of concern to the public.

The history of the Ionia County Sheriff’s office dates back to 1837, the year Ionia County was formed. Our first sheriff, Elhan Curtis served only one year before being replaced by John Porter Place. There have been a total of 39 sheriffs who have served Ionia County. Many of the family names remain prominent throughout Ionia County. The serving sheriff’s and their dates of office are as follows:

There have been nineteen female sheriffs in the state of Michigan. Ionia County has had one. When Sheriff Leslie Murphy died in office in 1944, his wife Maude Murphy was appointed to serve out his term. Maude did not seek election and was replaced by Sheriff Dodes. Sheriff Murphy died while cleaning a fence row on his farm located at Nickle Plate Road at Westbrook Road.

Some very interesting artifact was discovered during the preparation of this article. One is an annual budget for the sheriff’s office for the year of 1933. The total budget for that year was $20,143.01. One line item included $491.05 for “tramps”. Postage was $2.00. Doctor and service fee was $120.00. Stationary and office supplies were $5.84. The Sheriff’s salary was $3,075 a year. The Undersheriff received $500.00.

1955 bids for patrol cars were equally interesting. Berger Motors of Ionia offered three Chevrolets, 150 series, complete with directional signals for $3846.42. Emery Auto Sales of Ionia (309 West Washington) submitted a bid in that same year for three new Plymouth 2 door sedans. These cars were equipped with directional signals, 6-volt batteries, fresh air heater with defrosters. Oil bath air cleaners and tubeless tires. All three cars had 117 horsepower L-head 6-cylinder engines. Total bid was $4754.80

Ionia County’s fourth sheriff, Cyprian S. Hooker was one of the first settlers in Ionia County. In the summer of 1836 Cyprian Hooker, his wife and six year old son, John S. Hooker, left their home in Plymouth Township, Wayne County and headed West. They traveled in a small, horse drawn covered wagon, loaded down with all their worldly possessions. The obstacles along the way thwarted their efforts, causing them to turn back. However, they were determined to make the trip, and the following year, 1837, they set out again, this time making the seven-day trip to a settlement called Saranac. The Hooker family lived in Saranac for nine years before moving on to Lowell. Cyprian Hooker followed Alonzo Sessions as Sheriff in 1844.

Reliable information has it that Sessions creek, and later Sessions Lake, near Ionia was named after Sheriff Alonzo Sessions who served as sheriff for only a brief period in 1943.

Sheriff Edson P. Gifford is the only known sheriff of Ionia County to have served in the civil war. He did so as a captain. Statewide, there were four Michigan sheriffs which served as generals in the civil war.

Sheriff William Bensinger is one of only two Michigan sheriffs who are known to have been prisoners of war during world war two. Bill was a turret gunner in a B-24 and was shot down over Koblin Germany on October 9th 1943. After more than a year in the prison camp and suffering from dysentery and malaria and being grossly underweight, he was liberated by the Russian army.

Ionia resident William Franch, son of Sheriff William “Moon” Franch recounts stories of his father while he served as sheriff. Franch, the last serving Democrat sheriff in Ionia County, was sheriff during prohibition, also known as the Capone era. Many bootleggers would travel through Ionia County on old M-16 from Sarnia Canada to Chicago. In those days probable cause for a traffic stop for suspicion of transporting illegal booze, was a “lowslung” car. Franch came to know that the Hudson was the choice of bootleggers as that particular car had a firm suspension, thus being able to carry heavier loads without drawing suspicion. Franch was not fooled. He had a reputation of identifying and stopping bootleggers going through Ionia County. He once stopped a hearse with hidden compartments filled with illegal booze.

At age 15, Orson Coe of Ionia was making a visit to the Ionia County Jail when a call came into Sheriff Franch that two men were beating on a woman on East Main Street. Sheriff Franch invited Coe to accompany him on the run. When they arrived on the scene, the two men were still there and committing the crime. Sheriff Franch immediately arrested the two, handcuffed them and put them in the patrol car. After doing so, he instructed Orson to get behind the wheel, turn on the siren and drive them back to the jail.

William’s most favorable recollection of his father was that he was a compassionate man and that he would seldom arrest persons accused of petty crimes during the depression. Stealing chickens and food to feed a family were common petty crimes of that time.

One of the most notable jail escapes in the history of the Ionia County Sheriff’s office happened while Sheriff Herbert Ross was in office. Sheriff Ross served from 1932 to 1938. The escape took place on a Sunday evening, January 26th 1936. Three prisoners, Mial Younglove, age 22, of Lowell, Otto Kieffer, age 32 of Lake Odessa and Donald Boerma age 20 of Lowell, carefully planned the escape. Each prisoner had partially disassembled their bunk bed, removing a chain which held connected the bunk to the wall. The prisoners packed the chains into one of their socks. Late in the evening, one of the prisoners went to the cell door and called out to Sheriff Ross that he was “ready to talk”. Sheriff Ross took this to mean that the prisoner was ready to confess to his crime. When Sheriff Ross opened the cell door, all three prisoners jumped him. They all began to hit Ross over the head with their chain filled socks. Ross went down, but not for long. As the three made their escape, Ross took a 22 calibre pistol from his pocket and fatally shot Mial Younglove. The other two made good their escape only to be caught a short while later. Deputy Bill Gardner, the Lake Odessa deputy, captured Kieffer the following day. Kieffer was walking near Lake Odessa with frozen hands and feet and suffering from exposur to the cold and fatigue from being up all night. Boerma was captured at his home in Lowell within an hour of his escape. Sheriff Ross was treated and released at the Ionia hospital (which was little more that a converted house at that time). Deputy Kenneth Wood took over the investigation while Sheriff Ross was being treated at the hospital.

A young reporter by the name of Fred Kidd Jr. was out on a date with his girlfriend, Percila Sparks when he heard of the escape. He immediately returned Miss Sparks to her home so he could cover the story. Reliable information has it that this move boosted his career with the newspaper, however, it ended his relationship with Miss Sparks.

Sheriff Ross died in his home on Main Street in Ionia at age 74. Alice Lyons, of Ionia, Sheriff Ross’s daughter, has kept one of the chain filled socks used by one of the prisoners to make good their escape. Mrs. Lyons has also kept the 22 calibre slug removed from Mial Younglove’s body.

Louis Lemke of Muir probably holds the record for being affiliated with the Ionia Sheriff’s office for the longest period of time. Although never a full time employee, “Lou” has worked as a special deputy almost continuously since 1955. Lou recalls the days when Sheriff Peter VanVleck was in office. There were only four or five officers in those days. VanVleck and his undersheriff, Herm Smith along with their deputy Ralph Johnson, would run the jail during the day. They would average about six in-mates at any given time. Mrs. VanVleck would prepare the food for the prisoners. There were no female prisoners. If one needed to be incarcerated, she had to be taken to Saint Johns and housed in the Clinton County Jail. The old jail stood on the same location of what is now the MSU extension and county maintenance building. Lou remembers most prisoners as being simply drunks, looking for a free meal and a place to sleep. Some would arrive late in the afternoon, before the end of the workday, and be given a dollar by Undersheriff Smith and told to go get a snack and a beer and come back later. During the night, Deputy Gary Hoppough would attend to the jail by himself.

Having joined the Ionia County Sheriff’s office in 1972 and working my way up through the ranks to my current position of Sheriff, I have been a part of the evolution of the agency. O. Gary Newton was the Sheriff in 1972, having succeeded Peter VanVleck of Palo. I recall well my initial interview with Sheriff Newton, he spoke in a gruff voice and I heard only about every other word, with the window air conditioner drowning out most of what he said. I am convinced that I possessed two traits, which got me the job. I was a republican and I wore the same size uniform as the deputy, which had recently quit. The fact that I was a trained, educated, Detroit police officer was of little significance to Sheriff Newton.

Ionia resident and general manager of the Ionia Theater, Dave Cook is the grandson of Sheriff Henry Cook. Henry served as sheriff from 1923 to 1926. Two of Henry’s deputies later became sheriff, William “Moon” Franch and Herbert Ross. This tenure may be one of the closest we have ever been to having a female sheriff, as Henry’s wife, Sara Louise, served as Henry’s undersheriff. There is a photo story in the Ionia County News wherein Sara Cook made history by arresting four drunks and throwing them in the Ionia jail, where they remained for thirty days. Henry Cook once arrested a bootlegger on Harrison Street in Ionia and found himself drenched in illegal booze. Cook had been tracking a moon shiner from Orleans Township by the name of Mr. Margolas. Cook had obtained an arrest warrant and went to the house with deputies. When he arrived, Margolas was in the front yard. He instructed his deputies to arrest and detain Margolas while he went into the house. Once inside, Mrs. Margolas attacked him and “fought like a tiger” while a “girl member of the household” ran upstairs and began smashing jugs of moonshine. Within minutes, the ceiling began to “rain whisky” drenching Sheriff Cook and Mrs. Margolas.

By 1972 the jail population had grown to an average of 30 prisoners. Very rarely would there be a female prisoner. Our primary function in the early 70’s was to run the jail and serve as agents of the Secretary of State. Road patrol was very limited. Driver’s licenses were issued at the sheriff’s office. Deputies were responsible for doing the road tests. A deputy worked nine and half-hours a day, six days a week for $6,500 a year. I recall my first days as a new deputy. I was introduced to a trustee prisoner and told that he would show me what needed to be done. Prisoners were fed on metal trays and meals usually consisted of road kill venison and navy beans. There were no televisions or telephones in the cells. Once a prisoner was sentenced, their hair was shaved off to cut back on lice.

Out of necessity and constant threat of federal lawsuits, Ionia County was faced with building a new and larger jail. Sheriff Terrence Jungel led this endeavor and in January 1990 the new 122-bed jail on Adams Street was completed. Forty-four prisoners were transported from the old jail to the new, after which that jail became home to the MSU extension office and the maintenance department. Much of the old jail documents remain in those jail cells. Sheriff Jungel embraced a contemporary philosophy of law enforcement and began a radical upgrade in community services through the implementation of several community service programs such as the Victim advocate program, the DARE program, multi-county drug enforcement concept teams, and partnerships with schools and communities. This all required a review and upgrade of the training necessary for the officers, resulting in a much more professional Sheriff’s Office.

I am proud to have been a part of the evolution of the Office of the Ionia County Sheriff. Jail capacity has quadrupled to 120 from its 1972 average. There are 55 paid employees. I also benefit from a highly trained victim advocate team and a posse of about fifteen highly trained members; all volunteers. Twenty-four hours a day, any number of our 19 deputies patrols Ionia County’s roads. Everyone from the jail officers to the kitchen staff to the clerks contribute to running an agency that has consistently surpassed the rigorous standard of state inspectors. We recognize that we cannot be effective in our efforts by acting alone. In this regard we have partnered with our area schools by placing deputies in the schools in an educational capacity. We have partnered with Ionia County Mental Health in a successful effort to reduce jail overcrowding and provide proper care for our mentally ill. We have also partnered with many of our townships and villages to provide additional law enforcement coverage.

Ionia County can be most proud of the professionalism and forward thinking spirit of the agency. The majority of our deputies have Bachelor’s degrees or above from a 4 year college or university. Our jail officers now take fingerprints electronically (no more messy ink) and perform many of their duties quite adeptly by computer. Continuing education and training is a priority for all of us here at the Ionia Sheriff’s office.

With all the growth, changes, and advances this office has indeed earned its venerable respect. We continue to place service to the citizens of our county as paramount. Everyday, our goal is to preserve, the peace; quiet and respect of those we serve and from whom we are granted our authority.

It has been an honor to share this journey through the office of the Ionia County Sheriff with all of you. Attempts to contact descendants of other past sheriffs were unsuccessful for this article but recording the history of this office shall be a continuing effort. I encourage anyone with interesting stories; photos; or artifacts to share to please do so.

Dwain Dennis
Sheriff

Top of Page