ENDORSEMENTS

Roland M. Kohr, M.D.
Forensic Pathologist and former Vigo County Coroner

It is with great pleasure that I am able to offer my endorsement for Derek Fell for Vigo County
Sheriff.
Derek began with the Sheriff’s office in 2002 as a correctional officer, and became a Sheriff’s Deputy in 2004. During his career he has worked all three shifts, providing him with a variety of experiences and understanding of the challenges in covering Vigo County 24 hours a day. His roles with the Department have included criminal investigations, scene investigations, and working several high profile cold cases. He has had extensive special training in various areas related to criminal investigations, and served as an instructor for other officers in a variety of subjects. Derek has held several leadership roles during his time on the department, including Assistant
Corrections Supervisor, Coordinator of Reserve Deputies, Commander of the Criminal Task Force, and was appointed the Chief of Operations by Sheriff John Plasse, under whom he served for 5 years. Following the death of Sheriff Plasse in 2024, Deputy Fell was named Vigo County Sheriff, a position he has filled with honor and dedication. In addition to his routine duties, Derek has served on the Sheriff’s Department Honor Guard. In recognition of his efforts within the Department, he has twice received the Sheriff’s Commendation award, and twice received the Homicide Unit Recognition. I personally got to know Sheriff Fell in 2014 when we served together on the Cold Case Task Force looking into the death of Earl Taylor’s first wife. Working closely with Deputy Fell, who also served as a liaison with the Cold Case Files television production team, we were able to
build a case, which resulted in a trial where Taylor was found guilty of his wife’s murder, resulting in his return to prison.
As a lifelong resident of Vigo County, with his wife and two daughters, Derek is committed to the safety of all Vigo County citizens. He has the track record to prove it. Having worked with different Vigo County Sheriff’s since 1988, not to mention dozens of county sheriffs from the other counties I served as Medical Examiner for during the past 37 years, I have the greatest of respect for Sheriff Fell. I have no doubt that he is the best man for the job, and can recommend him without hesitation.

Roland M. Kohr, M.D. Forensic Pathologist and former Vigo County Coroner

Marie Belzile Theisz

Over the last few years I have had the privilege to work with and get to know Sheriff Derek Fell. When I served on the Vigo County Council he would often have to work on the needs of the Sheriff's Department and the jail through planning, requests, and budgets. What I appreciated the most from him was that he would find ways to think outside of the box and into the future on solving problems. He would come to us with options and speak honestly about what would best serve the deputies and the people impacted by the funding and decisions. Sheriff Fell looks for opportunities to rehabilitate and help those serving time which not only impacts their family and neighbors, but also serves the needs of our community. He has made our county safer by advocating for additional deputies and ensuring we are able to hire and retain those who serve. As an educator and engaged member of our hometown I have seen families impacted by trauma, and Sheriff Fell works with his department and other stakeholders in our community to stop some of the cycles we see. I have attended countless meetings and community events with Sheriff Fell over the years and during those times I loved seeing him interact with the public, especially the youth in building connections. He is a dedicated leader to his department and the people of Vigo County and is a true example of what it means to serve and engage with his community. I am confident in saying it would be beneficial to our county that we should support Sheriff Derek Fell as he works towards continuing his leadership and work as Vigo County Sheriff.

Joe Kenworthy

When I first started my journey with the Sheriff's Office, I was a patrol officer and it just so happened that I was assigned a district south of town. As a result, I was sent to the K-Mart store where loss prevention had a person stopped for criminal conversion. Derek Fell was working at K-Mart in loss prevention. He had made the stop. Throughout several months I would return to K-Mart and eventually became friends with Derek.
His stops were always spot on along with the paperwork. I learned very early that Derek was very thorough in gathering evidence.
Later on Derek applied for, passed the testing, and was accepted as a deputy sheriff doing well in the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. Over the course of years we would work alongside each other and I came to realize that Derek always had the best interest of the citizens in mind; he was fair and at times would think outside of the box to resolve problems. Deputies always knew Derek would have your back when things got crazy. Derek always handled himself with pride along with integrity in his job.
Even when Derek was appointed as a detective, if he was out and anywhere close to where you were having issues on a call, he would show up. This was particularly helpful one evening where another deputy and myself were involved in a fight. Derek showed up, jumped in and eventually we got the situation handled with no one being injured.
I have learned over the years watching Derek grow into leadership positions that he always had the best interest of the deputies he served with in the forefront and believe that is still the case.
Vigo County is safer as a result of his actions now and then and most importantly the men and women who serve as deputies in the County are safer; he does not compromise on this. Derek is a known entity and a leader who will take the Sheriff's Office into the future.