A third candidate has entered the race for Scott County Sheriff.
In a press release over the weekend, Winchester resident Caleb Handy announced that he would be entering the Republican Primary in March of next year to succeed current Sheriff Tom Eddinger, who announced his retirement Sunday after eight years on the job.
Handy background in law enforcement goes back to 2008 when he served as a part-time officer in Ashland. He has also had stints with the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Winchester Police Department and the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.
Handy also served as part-time Police Chief in Winchester for two years, beginning in 2020.
Handy joins current Winchester Police Chief Steve Doolin and White Hall Police Officer Leighton McClenning on the Republican ballot for Scott County Sheriff in the March 17th, 2026 primary.
Here is Handy’s full statement announcing his candidacy:
“I’m excited to announce my candidacy for Scott County Sheriff for the upcoming election in 2026.
I am a proud married man to Jessica Handy and we are fortunate enough to have four wonderful children (12, 10, 4 and 1) that have grown and will continue to grow in Scott County. We are also host parents to a wonderful Senior from Finland.
I began my career in law enforcement in Ashland Illinois in 2008, where I worked part time for two years. I began a career in the Illinois Department of Corrections the same year. I am currently a Sergeant with that Department.
I moved to Scott County in 2016 after receiving a part time job with the Winchester Police Department. Shortly after, I became a deputy for the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. I transitioned from part time to full time in 2018 and completed the transition course to achieve my full-time law enforcement certificate for the state of Illinois. I continued to work tirelessly for the Winchester Police Department full-time while working full time for the Department of Corrections for two years.
It was a hard decision, but I stepped down from full-time employment with Winchester PD due to having two young kids at home always asking when I was going to be home. I continued part-time for Winchester PD and the Scott County Sheriff’s Office at this time.
In 2020, I took on the role as the Chief of Police for the Winchester Police Department. I did this on a part-time basis for two years with three kids at home and still working for the Department of Corrections. I stepped down from that role due to not being able to dedicate the time needed for the role.
If I am elected as the Scott County Sheriff, I will be a be able to take a leave of absence from the Department of Corrections and give the County my full attention as long as I am elected Sheriff.
I would like to continue the excellent job that current Sheriff, Tom Eddinger has done with community policing. I would like to bring programs into the community that would assist both the citizens and the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. I do believe in being out there and making ourselves seen and being proactive. Our County has been and always will be a great community that people will strive for the best and people will try to duplicate.
This state has made it hard for law enforcement to do our jobs and I would like to use this position to try to rectify that in any way possible and keep our County safe and remind people that there’s a lot of things that do not fly in small communities.
I would like to thank my wife and other friends that have encouraged me to try to take this role and better myself and the Scott County Community.
I’d like to thank you for your time and consideration as I will be running on the Republican Ballot for this honored position.
If there are any questions, please let me know. I will be more than happy to answer them in a message, on the phone or in person. Please do not hesitate to reach out.”