Auglaize sheriff candidate Vorhees addresses Rotarians
NEW BREMEN — On Tuesday morning, Auglaize County Sheriff candidate Mike Vorhees spoke to Rotarians about his career and the path that led him to running for sheriff.
Vorhees announced his intent to run back in July 2019 and is running as an independent, unopposed as current Sheriff Al Solomon is retiring this year.
Originally from Buckland, he said he got his start in public service at 14 years old as he’s been a member of the Buckland Fire Department for 37 years.
His family is deeply rooted in public service. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather all served for fire departments. His son, Aaron, is the current fire chief for Buckland.
“My great-grandfather was fire chief back in the day back in
Wapak when they got the first motorized fire truck back in the early 1900s,” said Vorhees. “Public service has always been in my
forte. It’s something I’ve always
enjoyed and wanted to do.”
Vorhees recounted that he was 18 when he was approached about getting into law enforcement.
“I’m glad I did,” said Vorhees. “That’s where my career started, back in 1987.”
Vorhees worked full-time for a trucking company and attended the police academy that the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office offered.
In 1992, he got hired on as a sheriff’s deputy for Auglaize County.
“When I started, I was just a road deputy patrolling the county,” said Vorhees. “In 1999, I became a St. Marys Township deputy. I did that for three years and I really enjoyed that. I learned how to do community policing and that was very important.”
Vorhees was promoted to sergeant in 2002 and was a road sergeant for five years.
Solomon became sheriff in 2005 and Vorhees worked under him for two years.
In 2007, Vorhees joined the Grand Lake Task Force, becoming the field commander.
“It was the best move I made,” he said. “I did it for seven years; I worked undercover. It brought a new aspect to law enforcement for me. I really enjoyed working with the local agencies.”
The Grand Lake Task Force is made up of Auglaize and Mercer counties.
“Our crime doesn’t stop in two counties. I was able to build relationships with Lima, Dayton, Columbus and really expand that to see where our drugs were coming from.”
Vorhees said heroin was starting to become a problem in the area in 2007 and the task force tried to pinpoint where it was coming from. He said they found that it was mostly coming from Dayton.
“We started building relationships up with Sidney, Dayton, Miami County, Troy. Our drug (traffickers) used to stay off the interstate. They knew if they got to the interstate, that the highway patrol would nail them left and right.”
Vorhees said they would catch people taking back roads such as state Route 66 or state Route 219 trafficking drugs and that some would make the Dayton to Auglaize County trip three to four times a day.
“The Grand Lake Task Force and working in the drug unit was really eye-opening for me,” said Vorhees. “It was very rewarding and I really enjoyed bringing everybody together and working with everyone. It takes a team.”
In 2014, Vorhees became lieutenant for the Auglaize County Sheriff’s Office.
Prior to that, Vorhees said Solomon had asked him in 2010 if he would ever consider running for sheriff and it wasn’t until he left his post in 2017 that he began seriously considering the prospect.
Running unopposed for sheriff, Vorhees will take over his new position in January 2021.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” he said. “Whether no one wanted the job, no one wanted to go out and do this, I don’t know. Or, did I build enough relationships out there where everybody was content with me running?”
As sheriff, Vorhees said that he’s going to continue the programs the department currently runs and expand on some of them.
Some of the programs include the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evaluate) Program that provides education for schools, and active shooter training, which began in schools but has since expanded to businesses as well.
“I’m an ALICE instructor. I enjoy doing that,” he said. “We’re able to go out and work with all our schools and be able to offer that education. It’s something I really want to continue.”
Vorhees thanked Auglaize County residents for all the support he’s received throughout his campaign.
“Nationally we see the defund the police and the non-support, but what is humbling to me is we’re not seeing that locally. We’re seeing nothing but support in Auglaize County and that’s why I love this area and working in it,” he said. “We need the support from the people. I am very excited to get back full-time into this area in law enforcement.”