HILLSDALE, MI (WTVB) – Hillsdale County Sheriff Scott B. Hodshire pleaded not guilty on Wednesday morning to felony charges of obstruction of justice and misconduct in office.
Arraigned via Zoom before Jackson County District Judge Daniel Goostrey, the 59-year-old sheriff is accused of leaking details of an active investigation to a suspect’s family between February and March 2026.
A Michigan State Police investigation indicated he tipped them off about a planned search warrant, raising officer safety concerns.
According to court documents from a Michigan State Police investigation, the Williams County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio contacted Hodshire in February 2026 for assistance with an active investigation and an upcoming search warrant. Instead of coordinating the raid securely, phone records reveal that Hodshire proactively called the suspect and the suspect’s parents, disclosing exactly what items police were looking for, including a truck, trailer, and tractor.
Represented by attorney Ann Arbor attorney John Shea, Hodshire waived his 14-day speedy preliminary hearing, with his next court date set for September 30, 2026.
Shea told the judge “It is my understanding that there’s a fair amount of discovery , there was a number of witnesses, there’s going to be recordings, there’s a phone dump, at least one, maybe more, and we’re going to need some time to get through that all before we can have a meaningful Probable Cause Conference”.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case following a local judicial disqualification.
Each felony carries up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, though Hodshire remains free on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond.
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