A 28 year veteran of the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Jeff Paden was appointed by the Commissioners in 2015 and elected in 2016 as the 48th Sheriff of Guernsey County.
A life-long resident of Guernsey County, Paden was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in October 1994 as a deputy working in the county jail. Two years later, Paden was transferred to work the road duties as a deputy, in 2010 he was promoted to detective sergeant, working numerous homicide and felony cases and in 2013 he was promoted to Captain.
He is a past member of the Sheriff’s Critical Incident Team and Special Response Team. Sheriff Paden currently holds a Master Criminal Investigators certificate through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
His past certificates and accommodations include DARE Instructor, four Sheriff Accommodations, four Safe Driving Accommodations, Death and Homicide, Crime Scene, Cold Case Homicide, Crime Scene Management, Initial Response to a Critical Incident, Specialized Death Investigation, School Shooting: Planning and Response; Weapons of Mass Destruction; Interview and Interrogation; Identity Theft Investigation; Read Interrogation; 911 Homicide Calls; Blood Stain Evidence; Legal Updates; Identifying Sex Offenders; and Latent Print Processing. He attends Sheriff School courses yearly.
Prior to joining the sheriff’s office, Paden graduated from Cambridge High School in 1988. A basketball player and track athlete, Paden attended his junior year at the Guernsey-Noble Career Center for law enforcement. After High school, he went to Muskingum Area Technical College and received an associate degree in criminal justice. Paden earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Ohio University-Zanesville in 1991. Paden later completed the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and the Ohio Corrections Training program in 1993.
Sheriff Paden resides in Cambridge with his wife, Adrianne, and sons, Derek and Justin Paden. Paden is the son of Don (Diane) Paden of Old Washington and the late Sharon Walker. His brother, Donnie Paden lives in Columbus where he serves as a police officer, while brothers Dustin Paden, Duane Poland and Nile Poland, live in Old Washington area. He is the son-in-law of Harley and Janice Bates of Salesville and brother-in-law of Brandon (Melissa) Bates, Salesville.
Paden’s community involvement includes past president of the Parent-Teacher Organization at the former Garfield Elementary School; past president and vice president and current coach for Cambridge Little League baseball; and past coach and board member for Cambridge Biddy Football League.
One of his most rewarding accomplishments is being a co-founder for the Cambridge Challenger League, a league for children with mental and physical challenges who want to play baseball.
He is also a member of the F&AM Guernsey Lodge 0066, Scottish Rite, the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 136, for which he has served as president and treasurer.