The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By Joanne Hilligoss, Associate Editor
Meet your neighbor Hancock County Sheriff candidate Jordan Hawes. Jordan grew up in Hamilton. He graduated from Hamilton High School in 2008.
Jordan attended Southeaster Community College where he obtained his Associates Degree. He started working at the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer and a 911 dispatcher.
Jordan has two brothers, Trent and Justin. His oldest brother, Trent, passed away at the age of 21 in 2001.
Jordan married his wife, Myranda on September 28, 2013. Myranda also grew up in Hamilton, so they knew each other through school and started dating after they graduated high school.
Together Jordan and Myranda have been blessed to have three beautiful children, Makayla, Bryson, and Adalyn.
Makayla is in fourth grade. She is an amazing dancer and she attends Mind and Sole Dance Company in Carthage where she is a competitive dancer all over the tri-state area.
Bryson is in third grade. He is a sports junkie and plays basketball, baseball and football. His favorite sport is whatever is in the season. He just finished 3rd and 4th grade tackle football and had a blast.
Adalyn is in her second year of preschool and also dances at Mind and Sole Dance Company. She loves the outdoors, rain or shine.
There is never a dull moment in the Hawes household. Between school, practices, and competitions, they are always on the move together and supporting each other. When there is down time they like to go on vacations, especially Walt Disney World.
Jordan has been a Detective with the Macomb Police Department since 2021.
On a part time basis, he is an associate instructor with the National Criminal Justice Training Center where he teaches investigative techniques for Online Child Exploitation cases to other investigators throughout the nation.
Prior to that, he served as the Chief Deputy under Sheriff Bentzinger at the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.
The Hawes family attends the Crossing Church. He is a volunteer on the Hamilton Fire Department, and he also serves as a school board member for the Hamilton School District.
Jordan’s hobbies are his children, spending time with them while they are young is what is most important right now.
Jordan Hawes is a Republican Candidate for Hancock County Sheriff with 17 years of law enforcement experience.
He began his career in 2008 at the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer and dispatcher.
From 2011 to 2015, he served as a patrol officer in the cities of Warsaw and Hamilton. In November 2015, former Sheriff Scott Bentzinger hired him as a Deputy for the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, where he advanced to the position of Chief Deputy.
In March 2021, Hawes briefly stepped away from law enforcement due to frustrations with the defund the police movement and the SAFE-T Act legislation, which ended cash bail, prioritized criminals over victims, and threatened to remove qualified immunity for officers.
As Chief Deputy, an administrative role outside union protection, he felt compelled to protect his family by stepping away.
After legislators amended portions of the act to restore protections for law enforcement, Hawes was recruited back to law enforcement in September 2021 by the Macomb Police Department, which had recently opened its residency requirements, allowing his family to remain in Hamilton.
At Macomb, Hawes has excelled, earning a promotion to Detective within six months and gaining significant experience in the Investigations Division.
He has served as the lead homicide investigator in four murder cases that resulted in convictions, received an Excellence award from the Illinois Homicide Investigator’s Association, and was named the 2023 Officer of the Year.
Additionally, he is assigned to the West Central Illinois Task Force, where he investigates narcotics violations and violent crime in the region.
Hawes is committed to a strong work ethic, principled leadership, and protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens while holding offenders accountable.
He aims to lead a Sheriff’s Office guided by conservative values, prioritizing transparency, accountability, and a victim-focused approach while engaging with the citizens of Hancock County.
He looks forward to connecting with the community, understanding the challenges faced by different areas, and earning support in the primary election on March 17, 2026.
Jordan will be in La Harpe at Beautiful and Beloved on Saturday, November 8th from 12pm - 2pm for a meet and greet.