Botetourt County
SHERIFF'S OFFICE
SHERIFF MATTHEW T. WARD
NON-EMERGENCY 540.928.2200 | EMERGENCY 911
About us
Welcome to the website of the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office! Our fundamental duty is to serve the public and we are committed to providing exemplary law enforcement services to the citizens of Botetourt County. Our team of highly skilled professionals is united by our core values of Service, Honor, and Commitment—the principles that guide our daily actions and interactions within the community.
As a full service Sheriff's Office in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office is the primary agency responsible for law enforcement services. The Sheriff is also responsible for jail administration, court security, and civil process of court issued papers in the County of Botetourt. The Sheriff is the only locally elected constitutional law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as provided in the Constitution of Virginia, and is elected by the citizens of his or her locality every four years.
Lying between the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, scenic Botetourt County is steeped in history and natural beauty. Founded in 1770 and named after Norborne Berkeley, more commonly known as Lord Botetourt, the county has long served as a cultural and historical hub. The county seat, Historical Fincastle, showcases this legacy with its well preserved 18th-century architecture and landmarks.
Botetourt spans over 540 square miles and is known for its rolling hills, rivers, and forests, offering an abundance of outdoor recreational activities. The James River winds through the county, providing opportunities for kayaking, fishing, and other water sports, while the Appalachian Trail runs along its ridgelines, making it a popular destination for hiking and nature enthusiasts.
The Botetourt County Sheriff's Office is an accredited agency through the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission (VLEPSC). As we grow with our community, we are committed to creating an environment of innovation that places our department at the forefront of modern policing. By leveraging the latest in technology and best practices in law enforcement, we continuously seek to enhance our capabilities, adapt to emerging challenges, and provide the most effective and efficient service to our community.
HISTORY OF the botetourt county SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Botetourt County, lying between the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, was formed by an Act of Division passed by the Virginia House of Burgesses on November 28, 1769. The Act officially created Botetourt County from Augusta County on February 1, 1770, after approval from the royal governor of the Colony of Virginia, Norborne Berkeley. The county’s boundaries extended to the Mississippi River, encompassing all and part of seven present-day states, including all of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a majority of Indiana and Illinois, the bottom portion of Ohio, the bottom portion of West Virginia, and the western bottom edge of Wisconsin that shares a border with Iowa and Illinois.
Botetourt County’s namesake comes from Norborne Berkeley, more commonly known as Lord Botetourt, 4th Baron Botetourt, who was the royal governor of the colony of Virginia from 1768 until his death in 1770. Governor Berkeley also approved the county’s formation.
On February 13, 1770, at the home of Robert Breckenridge (somewhere near present-day Daleville, Virginia), several prominent members of society, known as the “Founding Fathers of Botetourt County,” took up the business of establishing county offices through the first County Court. The first County Court was convened, producing commissions from the Governor and performing the process of taking the usual oaths of office. The first County Court subsequently qualified Richard Woods as the first Sheriff of Botetourt County, officially establishing the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office.
Early duties of the Sheriff included enforcing the law, confinement of prisoners, collecting taxes, and serving writs.
The first jail for Botetourt's county was a log structure 16 feet by 20 feet with an addition at one end (exact dimensions) for the "gaoler" (jailer).
Today, Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency consisting of 112 sworn deputies and 27 civilian support personnel serving a community encompassing 546 square miles within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission accredits the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office.
SHERIFFS OF BOTETOURT COUNTY 1770 - present
1770 Richard Woods
1771 Israel Christian
1773 John Maxwell
1776 George Skillern
1777 Benjamin Estill
1778 Andrew Woods
1791 William McClanahan
1793 Pat Lockhart
1795 James Mason
1797 John Beale
1798 Henry Walker
1800 John Smith
1802 John Jordan
1804 Thomas Rowland
1806 James Tapscott
1807 John Allen
1809 Elijah McClanahan
1811 James Trenor
1813 Charles Beale
1815 David Shanks
1817 Barclay Kyle
1819 John Pitzer Jr.
1823 Thomas Wilson
1825 John Pate
1828 William Anderson
1831 John Moore
1832 Joseph Hannah
1833 James Cartmill
1835 Nathaniel Burrell
1838 John Allen, Jr.
1840 Benjamin Carper
1842 Henry Walker
1844 Thomas N. Burwell
1846 Jacob Rudisill
1847 John Gray
1849 Cary Breckinridge
1852 Rufus Pitzer
1857 Joseph K. Pitzer
1861 Lewis Linkenhoker
1864 James R. Thompson
1865 James Rowland
1866 Lewis Linkenhoker
1869 Joseph E. Johnson
1870 James R. Thompson
1871 Henry C. Douthat
1873 Rufus P. Kyle
1879 D. P. Crush
1883 Henry R. Burger
1885 John S. Henderson
1887 J. L. Garland
1899 W. P. Barley
1904 S.L. Heck
1908 John W. Shepherd
1908 John B. Crist
1916 W. J. Booze
1920 B. P. Obenshain
1924 L.T. Mundy
1935 John J. Nofsinger
1952 J. M. Arrington
1959 Norman H. Sprinkle
1991 J. O. Caldwell
1992 B. Reed Kelly
2000 Ronald N. Sprinkle
2020 Matthew T. Ward - Present