Sheriff’s office leaves courthouse

If you’re heading to the courthouse to pay your tax bill, then you need to change directions.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office has closed its office inside the Grant County Courthouse and moved operations to 212 Barnes Road, next to the Grant County Detention Center.

The new sheriff’s office location will be open for business on Monday, Sept. 26.

“We outgrew the space at the courthouse and really had no room to expand,” said Sheriff Chuck Dills.

The sheriff’s office in the courthouse included two small rooms.

When the Grant County Detention Center was completed in 1999, it included an area for the sheriff’s office, including a work out area for deputies, office space for deputies, interview rooms and secure areas to keep evidence.

“In 1999, we decided to keep the administration part of our office at the courthouse so we could better serve the court system,” Dills said.

With the opening of Grant County’s new judicial center in 2010 , all court-related offices and activities, including circuit and district judges, district and circuit clerk and staff, moved into the new facility, which requires court security provided by the sheriff’s office whenever the building is in use.

“That meant we had three locations and that was too much for the public to keep up with,” said Dills.

With the opening of the judicial center, Dills was forced to expand his court security staff from two deputies to 10. There was also space inside the judicial center for the county’s court designated worker and pre-trial services, which were using space at the detention center vacated when the 911 dispatch center was dissolved and moved to Kentucky State Police Post 6 in Dry Ridge.

Dills remodeled the front portion of the new location on Barnes Road and painted his office space. More public parking spaces were also added to the existing parking lot.

He said the sheriff’s office is busiest during tax season and the new location is handicapped accessible with public restrooms.

Dills also said that when out-of-state vehicles are brought in for inspections, most of those went to the Barnes Road office anyway.

“We realize having three locations was confusing, but this space should just be better for the public overall,” he said.

The sheriff’s office has 15 employees, including the sheriff, chief deputy, 10 road deputies, a school resource office and two clerks.

New address: 212 Barnes Road, Williamstown
Phone number: 859-824-3333
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8:30 a.m. – noon
Saturday
www.grantcountysheriff.com