CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Sheriff Matthew O. Hafey promoted Johnathan Strawser to the rank of major at the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office in a swearing-in ceremony Monday morning, the agency announced.
Strawser has worked at the sheriff’s office since 2003, according to the agency, and has held assignments in corrections, patrol, investigations and command over more than two decades with the office. Hafey administered the oath in a ceremony attended by Strawser’s family, friends and current and former co-workers, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The promotion is the latest step in a career that has tracked closely with Hafey’s tenure leading the office. Hafey, a Navy veteran and former Circleville police sergeant, was elected sheriff in 2020 and took office in January 2021. In March 2023, he promoted Strawser from lieutenant to captain as part of a group of five lieutenants elevated to that rank that year.
Strawser’s move to major comes days after Maj. Hunter R. Lane, one of the sheriff’s office’s other top-ranking officers, announced his retirement after more than 28 years with the agency, effective Aug. 31. Lane was promoted to captain in the same March 2023 ceremony as Strawser before later rising to major.
The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office is organized into jail and corrections, patrol, communications, court services, investigations, special operations and administration divisions, according to the agency’s website.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
