Sheriff’s Department Promotes Gelbaugh, McKeand
KOSCIUSKO — Kosciusko County Sheriff Rocky Goshert has announced the promotion and movement of two officers within the sheriff’s department.
Kevin Gelbaugh has been promoted to the position of Detective Sergeant by Goshert. Gelbaugh began his law enforcement career with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department as a confinement officer at the Work Release Center in 1993, and then a jailer in 1994. Gelbaugh was hired as a merit road deputy in 1999, and promoted to a Corporal, and then a third shift Sergeant. Gelbaugh is a 2000 graduate of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
Chris McKeand was selected by Goshert as the second in command of the sheriff’s department as the Chief Deputy, assigned to the rank of Captain. McKeand, a 1995 graduate of Ball State University with bachelor degrees in criminal justice and political science, began his law enforcement career with the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department as a confinement officer at the Work Release Center in 1995, and then as a full-time jailer. He was hired as a merit road deputy in 1997, and promoted to a Corporal, second shift Sergeant and eventually the commander of the Road Patrol Division as a Lieutenant.
McKeand is a full accident reconstructionist, ranking in the top 3 of the nation, and graduated as the valedictorian of his Indiana Law Enforcement Academy class in 1998. McKeand was also selected as the 2004 Officer of the Year for the State of Indiana by the Indiana Sheriff’s Association after negotiating a suspect to surrender after a 4-hour stand-off as three officers were pinned-down by gunfire near Cromwell.
Sheriff Goshert stated that “both officers represent the highest examples of work ethics, integrity and professionalism, and are proven examples of excellent officers within our agency.”