Indiana State Trooper Stephen Wheeles, a Jackson County native, was promoted to sergeant and will serve as the public information officer for the Versailles Post.
Wheeles is a 1997 graduate of Brownstown Central High School. Wheeles attended Covenant College near Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Oakland City (Indiana) University.
He graduated from the Indiana State Police Recruit Academy in 2000 and was assigned to the Versailles District, transferring to Gaming Enforcement in 2002. In 2005, Wheeles transferred to the Seymour District and back to the Versailles Post in 2009 after the closure of the Seymour Post.
As a state trooper, Wheeles has served on the meth suppression team, as a member of the tactical intervention platoon and as a field training officer. He also was a department K-9 handler from 2007 until 2015.
His new responsibilities will include issuing news releases on significant events, responding to media inquiries and conducting and facilitating informational programs for the public.
Wheeles and his wife, Angie, live in Jackson County and have three children, Andrew, Lexi and Ethan.
