Hillsdale County Sheriff Scott Hodshire pleaded not guilty yesterday to felony charges of misconduct in office and obstruction of justice, appearing by Zoom before a judge brought in from neighboring Jackson County to avoid any conflict of interest. Hodshire, who has served as sheriff since 2020, remains free on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond while the case moves toward a probable cause conference.
According to MLive, Hodshire is accused of disclosing confidential information about an active, ongoing investigation to a suspect and the suspect's family. Court warrant filings reviewed by WTVB specify the alleged disclosures occurred between February 18 and March 5, 2026, in Camden, a village in southwestern Hillsdale County. The felony warrant itself was authorized on August 19 and signed August 31 by 2B District Court Magistrate Rachel Doxtader, following a petition from Michigan State Police Detective Sergeant Travis Pohl, per the station's report.
Michigan State Police is investigating the case, and neither the agency nor the Michigan Attorney General's Office, which is prosecuting it, has released further details about what the underlying investigation involved or who the suspect was. Hillsdale County Prosecuting Attorney Jamie Wisniewski told WTVB her office had no involvement in the investigation or the charging decision, deferring entirely to the Attorney General's Office to sidestep any local conflict. No prosecutor from the Attorney General's Office attended yesterday's arraignment, according to MLive.
An Outside Judge Steps In
Hillsdale County 2B District Court Judge Megan Stiverson disqualified herself from the case before Jackson County District Judge Daniel Goostrey was assigned, per the same account from WTVB. The State Court Administrative Office signed the order putting Goostrey on the case on September 1, and he presided over Tuesday's arraignment remotely.
Hodshire waived his right to have the next hearing scheduled within 14 days. His attorney, John Shea, who is based in Ann Arbor, said discovery includes numerous witnesses, recordings and at least one phone dump, and that his team needs more time to review the material before a meaningful probable cause conference. The next court date is set for September 30.
What the Charges Carry
Both counts against Hodshire are punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of as much as $10,000, according to MLive. As explained by Clutch Justice, both misconduct in office and obstruction of justice are brought under MCL 750.505, Michigan's catch-all common-law felony statute used when no specific statutory penalty exists for public official wrongdoing.
Clutch Justice also notes that under Michigan's public officer vacancy law, MCL 201.3, an elective county office automatically becomes vacant upon a conviction of an infamous crime or any offense involving a violation of the officeholder's oath — meaning even a misdemeanor plea deal could ultimately force Hodshire from office. The outlet points to a precedent within the same department: the Attorney General's Office prosecuted a misconduct in office case against former Hillsdale County Sheriff's deputy Todd Barkley in 2022, who was later sentenced to probation.
A Department Already Under Scrutiny
Hodshire, a Republican, was first elected sheriff in November 2020 and won a second term in November 2024 after taking the Republican primary and running unopposed in the general election, according to Ballotpedia. His tenure has included other internal controversies. In November 2024, Hoodline reported that former Sergeant Ronald Leggitt pled guilty to assault involving a female inmate after Hodshire referred that internal investigation to Michigan State Police rather than handling it in-house.
The department has also weathered recent tragedy. In June 2024, Hillsdale County Sheriff's Deputy William Butler Jr. was fatally shot during a traffic stop, marking the county's first law enforcement line-of-duty death in nearly a century. That loss, along with the Leggitt case, has kept the small southern Michigan sheriff's office under unusual public attention even before Hodshire's own arraignment this week.
For now, the specifics of the investigation Hodshire is accused of compromising remain unknown. Neither Michigan State Police nor the Attorney General's Office has released information about the target or nature of the confidential probe, leaving open questions about the case at the center of the charges as the sheriff prepares for his September 30 hearing.
