VIGO CO. – Vigo County Sheriff John Plasse lost his battle with pancreatic cancer this morning. He was 60.
Sheriff Plasse was diagnosed with stage 1B pancreatic cancer in May 2022.
Plasse began his first term as Vigo County Sheriff on January 1, 2019. He was re-elected in November 2022.
In the days ahead, Sheriff Plasse’s family, friends, fellow officers, and home community will remember and celebrate a life of dedicated service and generous spirit. While we all knew this day was coming, the news still lands hard, and we grieve a loss that cannot be fully described in words.
We will share news of funeral arrangements when they are completed. In the meantime, the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office team promises to honor our Sheriff’s memory by serving Vigo County with the same energy, integrity, and goodwill that John Plasse taught by his leadership and example. We will remember him and be grateful that we were privileged to serve in his company and shared a common commitment to public service.
We invite all to remember John in prayerful thanksgiving for his life and work and to hold his family in prayers for comfort and peace in the midst of a terrible loss. We invite all also to pray for law enforcement officers and first responders here and elsewhere who serve their communities and strive to protect all of us.”
Chief of Operations Derek Fell
Chief Deputy Steve Meng
Before becoming Vigo County sheriff, Plasse was chief of the Terre Haute Police Department for a decade. He retired from the department in 2018 after 33 years of service. He was promoted to sergeant in 1998 and lieutenant in 2001. He worked assignments with the uniform division, criminal investigation division, juvenile division, and Vigo County Drug Task Force.
Plasse was named Terre Haute Police Department Officer of the Year in 2004 for his dedication to duty.
Plasse’s dedication to service started before his law enforcement career. He retired in November 2017 as Sergeant Major with the 38th Infantry Division in the Indiana Army National Guard, where he served 34 years. His deployments included time in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
