I was working at Precision Fence and Hardware when Sheriff Bill Skinner and Captain Winston Kelly came in to pick up supplies for the Sheriff’s Department. While helping them gather what they needed, Sheriff Skinner asked if I had ever considered working at the Wood County Jail. I told him I might be interested if an opening became available.
Later that same day, Captain Kelly called and asked me to come to the jail for an interview. By the end of the interview, I had been offered a job, and I gladly accepted.
Over the next year, Sheriff Skinner and his command staff became tremendous role models to me. Very early in my employment, an inmate attempted to forcibly escape from the jail. Once the situation was under control, Sheriff Skinner and Captain Kelly arrived to gather information about the incident. As a new jailer, I was certain we were all about to lose our jobs.
Instead, Sheriff Skinner and Captain Kelly called the jail shift into a meeting room. Sheriff Skinner must have noticed how nervous I was because he patted me on the shoulder and said, “Good job tonight.” He went on to tell the entire shift how proud he was of the work we had done and presented Letters of Commendation to all of the staff involved. That moment set the tone for the kind of leader he was. He stood behind his employees when it mattered most.
Even after Sheriff Skinner retired, we stayed in touch, often swapping stories and memories from years past. In my 21 years working in corrections, Sheriff Skinner remained one of the finest sheriffs I ever had the privilege to work for.
What I gained during those years was more than just my first job in law enforcement and corrections. It was a lasting lesson in leadership, respect, and how good leaders treat the people who work for them.
Sheriff Skinner will be deeply missed by everyone fortunate enough to have worked with him and for him.