A life long Woodford County resident, Wilhoit is a graduate of Woodford County High School, is married with three children and two grandchildren.

About Our Office

John Wilhoit is a lifelong Woodford County resident. He graduated from Woodford County High School. He is married and has three children and two grandchildren.

Sheriff John Wilhoit began his law enforcement career with the Versailles Police Department in 1986, moving thru the ranks to become the Chief of Police in August 2005 until he retired in 2015. Wilhoit began as a patrol officer where he specialized in the reconstruction of motor vehicle collisions and was a charter member of the Versailles Police department’s Special Response Team.

John previously worked for the Versailles Police Department, ultimately serving as chief of police.

SHERIFF - (Vote for One)
Choice Party Absentee Voting Early Voting Election Day Voting Total
Elizabeth "Betsy" BASS REP 7 20.00% 18 28.13% 160 39.41% 185 36.63%
John WILHOIT DEM 28 80.00% 46 71.88% 246 60.59% 320 63.37%
Cast Votes: 35 100.00% 64 100.00% 406 100.00%
Undervotes: 0 4 16 20
Overvotes: 0 0 0 0

Count_PrecinctResults (Woodford County PDF)

John was elected Woodford County sheriff.

2026 Kentucky General Election

As police chief, Wilhoit oversaw major drug investigations in Woodford County that resulted in stopping a pill mill operation from Florida and one of the first Federal Court convictions for trafficking in Heroin in Kentucky that was a direct result of a drug overdose that resulted in a death. Sheriff Wilhoit pledges that the Sheriff’s office will continue to investigate and assist other agencies in any violations of state or federal drug laws.

Pledges to continue investigating violations of state and federal drug laws and assisting other agencies in those investigations.

- Pledges to continue investigating violations of state and federal drug laws and assisting other agencies in those investigations.

Public Safety

As of October 8, 2026, John Wilhoit’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Jail Management

Criminal Justice

frame-ancestors 'self' https://www.youcanvote.org http://localhost:3000 http://localhost:3030 https://research.branch.vote https://www.gamvp.org https://gcvedfund.org https://atlantaciviccircle.org https://www.govotega.org https://www.azdrc.org https://www.ncvoter.org https://www.youcanvote.org https://www.asiantexansforjustice.org https://votemosnc.com https://ourpeopleourvote.org https://www.aafederation.org https://civicnebraska.org https://www.cvilletomorrow.org https://myballotmypower.org https://dallaschamber.org https://www.mprnews.org http://weststreet.branch.vote https://www.mosesaction.com https://saavetxeducationfund.org https://www.ocahouston.org https://emgageusa.org https://www.aaftx.org https://www.wxpr.org https://www.gpb.org https://www.alforward.org https://pvdeye.org https://colabnews.co https://www.alamosacitizen.com https://www.aspenpublicradio.org https://bucketlistcommunitynews.com https://estesvalleyvoice.com https://frontporchne.com https://coloradofocus.com https://khen.org https://ksut.org https://lnn.news https://montrosebusinesstimes.com https://ofm.media https://pikespeakbulletin.org https://sentinelcolorado.com https://themountainear.com https://yellowscene.com https://coloradonewsline.com https://www.denvergazette.com https://rmpbs.org https://coloradosun.com https://www.denverpost.com https://prairiemountainmedia.com https://dukechronicle.com https://calmatters.org https://alaskavoterhub.org https://www.cpr.org https://we-ha.com https://gipl.org https://www.abridged.org https://wacobridge.org https://austincurrent.org https://www.nycet.org https://mndaily.com https://www.kvnf.org https://www.kdnk.org https://gcvedfund.org https://wpenginepowered.com https://youcanvote.org https://disabilityrightsnc.org https://www.theassemblync.com https://borderbelt.org https://indyweek.com https://www.cityviewnc.com https://greensborothread.com https://www.cvilletomorrow.org https://www.dallaschamber.org https://dallaschamber.org https://2025texaspropositions.com https://www.2025texaspropositions.com https://vote-for-2025.squarespace.com https://mprnews.org http://localhost:3000 https://www-dev.mprnews.org https://www.minnpost.com https://www.wxpr.org https://app.grovecms.org https://gpb.org https://gpbd8dev.prod.acquia-sites.com https://frontporchne.com https://www.khen.org https://www.ksut.org https://lnn.news https://pikespeakbulletin.org http://www.themtnear.com https://coloradonewsline.com https://www.rmpbs.org https://www.dailycamera.com https://www.piratemedia1.com https://wfuogb.com https://theseahawk.org https://www.dailytarheel.com https://technicianonline.com https://www.dukechronicle.com https://theappalachianonline.com https://www.theviewpointnewspaper.com https://calmatters.org https://d.calmatters.org https://thejoltnews.com https://aknativevote.com https://aknativevote.com https://capybara-test.texastribune.org https://apps.texastribune.org https://graphics.texastribune.org https://www.abridged.org https://abridgedstg.wpenginepowered.com https://mndaily.com https://eplocalnews.org https://plnewscompass.org https://woodburynewsnet.org https://www.kdnk.org

BadRequest

John Wilhoit

As of October 8, 2026, John WILHOIT’s website did not contain information on this issue.

John WILHOIT

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

- The sheriff is a law enforcement officer with arrest power and the right to carry a concealed weapon. They hire and manage trained deputies.
- In most counties, the role of the jailer, who handles jail management, and the sheriff are separate offices, but some counties such as Lexington-Fayette County and Louisville-Jefferson County, combine these roles. 
- Property owners pay property taxes to the sheriff, who keeps records and delivers the money to the appropriate part of government.
- The sheriff sits on the four person county board of elections. On election day, the board of elections rules on questions about voter registration, proof of identification, and signatures on absentee ballots.
- This position has a maximum annual salary based on county size. The current maximum values range from about $85,000 to $154,400. 

The chief law enforcement officer of your county.