CHILLICOTHE — Gov. Mike DeWine on Sept. 4 reappointed Ross County Sheriff George W. Lavender Jr. of Chillicothe to the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission. The new term runs from Sept. 4, 2026, through Sept. 3, 2029.
What the commission is
The panel was created in 1986 and sits in the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. State law gives it seven members: the attorney general, who chairs it, plus two sheriffs, two county prosecutors, and two police chiefs appointed by the governor with Senate confirmation. Members serve three-year terms without pay.
The commission reviews complaints of organized crime and decides whether to authorize multi-county task forces. Those task forces can get extra tools, equipment, and funding to target crimes that cross city and county lines, including drug trafficking, public corruption, and human trafficking. The work stays confidential until charges are filed. A commissioner does not run the local sheriff’s office and does not automatically create a new task force in Ross County.
What this means for Lavender
This is not his first time on the panel. DeWine first appointed him May 31, 2024, to a term that ended Sept. 3, 2026. The new appointment is a continuation of that seat, one of only two sheriff seats on the commission. The Senate still has to confirm it. If Lavender leaves the sheriff’s office before 2029, state law says he would also leave the commission.
His career
Lavender joined the Ross County Sheriff’s Office in 1976 as a dispatcher and jailer. He later worked road patrol, commanded the dive and emergency response teams, and rose to major before retiring from the career ranks in 2005. Voters elected him sheriff in 2008. He took office in 2009 and has held the job since. His current elected term ends in 2028. In April 2026 marked his 50th year in law enforcement, and has been heard stating that he will not run again.
He is best known locally for a long tenure and for working with the U.S. 23 Major Crimes Task Force, which has included agencies in Ross, Pickaway, Pike, Fayette, and Highland counties. In April 2026, State Rep. Mark Johnson and a representative for U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor recognized him at the 50-year gathering.
Others from the area
Jeffrey N. Sczpanski of Circleville was reappointed to the Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Athletic Trainers Board through Aug. 27, 2029. He is a licensed athletic trainer already serving on that board. Michele A. Courtney of Lancaster was reappointed to the same board. John C. Harris Jr. of Pickerington was appointed to the Central State University Board of Trustees. Michael J. Budzik of Logan and Benny G. Mitchell of Glenford were reappointed to the Hocking College Board of Trustees. Kevin H. Elder of Pleasantville was appointed to the Reclamation Commission.
Jackson County Sheriff Tedd Frazier was not on this week’s list. He was reappointed to the same organized crime commission in 2025 and already serves through Sept. 3, 2028.
