Ross County – A deputy is speaking out after being terminated for filing to run for Ross County Sheriff against his former boss Sheriff Lavender.
According to Former Deputy Isaac Oberer, he has been terminated from his position after announcing his candidacy to run against his boss for the office of Sheriff in the upcoming November election.
Oberer in a press release said, “Today I was fired by Sheriff Lavender from my position at the Ross County Sheriff’s Office. The cited reason – meaning put on paper – was that I was challenging him in the 2024 election for the position of Sheriff,” Oberer said. “While I do not agree with this decision, I hoped that a public leader would accept a healthy challenge while believing that a larger percent of the community would support him, and would encourage the next generation of law enforcement in some form. For a man that gained my respect, I was very disappointed.”
According to the Ross County Sheriff’s office, the reason for termination pointed to two different Ohio revised codes Section 124.57 | Prohibition against partisan political activity. and Rule 123:1-46-02 | Political activity of employees in the classified service of the state, both rules outline what political activity someone employed by state can do. Ross County Sheriff says that he broke that rule while working full-time at the Sheriff’s office.
Questions erupted online on how Lavender allowed Dale Thomas to run for Pickaway County sheriff then, but there are some differences in their status at the department. Oberer was a full-time deputy and is running in a local election in the county he works in. Dale Thomas is part-time, and ran in the Pickaway County elections. We have reached out to Ross County to explain why one is different than the other but have not received anything back.
Former Deputy Overer has moved around Southern Ohio in the last few years, working in the Circleville Police Department, Ross County, Franklin Township police department, and recently Ross County again. He is currently running as an independent.
Sheriff Lavender has been the Ross County Sheriff since 2008 he is a Republican.
