About us

 

 

Sheriff Steven Hinkley

Sheriff Steven Hinkley began his career at the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office in June 1992 and has worked various positions within patrol, corrections, court transport security, the detective bureau, and supervision. Before being appointed to Sheriff in March 2020, Hinkley was a detective/sergeant and oversaw multiple Sheriff's Office units, such as the major crimes task force. He was appointed to Sheriff in 2020, after the departure of Sheriff Matt Saxton before the end of his term.

Hinkley has taught at Kellogg Community College as an adjunct instructor for 24 years and Kellogg Community College for 8 years. He has lived in Calhoun County for 28 years, with his wife Kimberly, their three children, and six grandchildren.

Undersheriff Timothy A. Hurtt
Timothy Hurtt was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and raised by his parents David and Nellie Hurtt, the oldest of three brothers. He is married to his wonderful wife Jennifer and they have a son and a daughter. Tim is also the father of four sons from a previous marriage.

Undersheriff Hurtt began his career in law enforcement in June of 1984, as a Special Deputy Sheriff for the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department.  In March of 1985, he was hired as a Police Officer by the Battle Creek Police Department, and later promoted to Detective in March of 1990.  After working violent crimes in the city for more than twelve years, Tim was promoted to Inspector in July of 2002, and led the Office of Professional Standards until retiring in July 2010. After leaving the City of Battle Creek, Undersheriff Hurtt became the first Police Chief for the Kellogg Community College, Department of Public Safety in February of 2011.

Undersheriff Hurtt is a graduate of Lansing Community College’s 36th Mid-Michigan Police Academy, Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Western Michigan University. He is also a graduate of the Northwestern University, Center for Public Safety, School of Police Staff and Command. 

 

Chief Deputy David Tendziegloski

David has been a member of the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office since he joined the agency as a Corrections Officer in June of 1988. His management career began in January of 2014, when he was promoted to Sergeant, where he gained valuable information as a Corrections Division Supervisor. In December of 2017, he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to the Corrections Division as Shift Commander. In June of 2020 he was reassigned to the Manager of the Office of Professional Standards. In July of 2021 he was promoted to Chief Deputy/Jail Administrator. 

Chief Deputy Tendziegloski is a graduate of Kellogg Community College and the 14th Class of the Michigan State University School of Staff and Command.

 

Calhoun County:

Calhoun County is the 17th largest county in Michigan, with 19 township and 3 cities: Battle Creek, Marshall (the county seat), and Albion. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 134,310, including large rural areas. County government was first organized on March 6, 1833.

Our history:

The boundaries of Calhoun County were set off by the Michigan territorial legislative council October 29, 1829.

The county was named for John C. Calhoun, who was then a member of President Jackson's Cabinet, Secretary of War.

The old Territorial Road which crossed through Ann Arbor, Jackson, and Marshall to what is now the Benton Harbor/Saint Joseph shoreline of Lake Michigan crossed through the county. The county was organized as a independent county on June 29, 1832.

The first land entry at Albion was made in 1830 by Ephraim Harrison.

At Marshall, the first settlers were George Ketchum who came in April 1830, and built a sawmill on Rice creek. A grist mill went into operation in late 1832. Sidney Ketchum was the original proprietor of the village of Marshall.

The first settlers in the Battle Creek area were Dr. Foster and Isaac Tolland. Ezra Convis also located near this area and became the first representative of the county to the state legislature in 1836. Many communities, especially Marshall, hosted stops on the Underground Railroad. Sojourner Truth also died in Battle Creek area in 1883 and is commemorated by a monument.

The first school was established in 1832 and the first schoolhouse served as a church as well.

The first courthouse was finished in 1838.

In 1850, there was a jail break from the jail in the courthouse basement when nine prisoners escaped after burning off the lock fastenings with an iron heated at a jail stove. The current courthouse in Marshall was completed in 1955. Some county courts are also located in Battle Creek.

Our Jail:

The current Calhoun County Jail opened in Battle Creek in 1994 with 630 beds, replacing the previous Jail that was built in Marshall in 1954 with 140 beds.

Our Staff:

Most of our facility is set up in a Direct Supervision layout. In our Direct Supervision housing units, the Inmate to Officer ratio is 56/1.

For more information on Calhoun County please visit: