Key players

Ray Dudley

Sheriff Ray Dudley is a life-long Delaware County resident who graduated from Muncie Southside High School in 1987.  He then attended Anderson University.  Ray and his wife Shannon have been married for 15 years. They have three sons, two of which are serving our community in the law enforcement field.  During Sheriff Dudley’s free time he is a dedicated football coach within the community.

The Sheriff started his law enforcement career in 1989 as a reserve officer for the Muncie City Police Department.  Ray then went to work for the Hartford City Police Department.  In 1997 Sheriff Dudley settled in with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. During his 18 years with the department he has served as a Deputy, D.A.R.E program instructor, SWAT team member, Accident Investigator, Search and Rescue Coordinator, CIT officer, and now Sheriff.

Sue Errington

Sue Errington represents Muncie in the Indiana House of Representatives. She started her legislative career at the county level and was elected to the State Senate in 2006. Errington then replaced Mayor Dennis Tyler in his position as a state representative in 2012. Prior to working in government, she served as the Public Policy Director for Planned Parenthood for 17 years. Errington is married and has two children.

Ben Smaltz

Ben Smaltz is an Indiana state representative of the Fort Wayne area. He has long been fighting Indiana’s meth problem from a legislative standpoint, authoring Senate Bill 80, a bill that helped keep pseudoephedrine out of the hands of meth users without interfering with those who need that drug for allergies. The bill passed in the 2016 legislative session and went into law in July of 2016. Smaltz says he will call the bill a success when there are no children in meth lab homes.

John Feick

Judge John M. Feick, 65, founded the first Forensic Diversion Drug Court in Delaware County. The Muncie native is the oldest of eight children. He attended St. Mary’s Elementary School, McKinley Junior High School, and graduated from Muncie Central High School in 1969. He's a Wabash College graduate and earned his law degree from Indiana University School of Law in 1977. He was first elected to the court in 2002.

Jayne Meranda

As the program coordinator for the Delaware County Forensic Diversion Drug Court, Jayne Meranda’s schedule can be demanding, especially on Mondays when court is in session. She starts her day by arranging court reports and attending hearings for different courts. By 11:45 a.m., she is meeting with the Drug Court committee to prepare for the day. Drug Court starts by 1:45 p.m. every Monday followed by Veterans Court. Meranda works with Delaware County Community Corrections as the program coordinator and case manager for Drug Court. As an alternative to incarceration, offenders referred to Drug Court work through the program to treat their addiction.

Dennis Tyler

Dennis Tyler grew up on the south-side of Muncie, Indiana, and graduated from Muncie Central High School. He served as a line captain for the Muncie Fire Department before retiring after 42 years of service. He then became a state legislator and served District 34 for six years. He now serves as the mayor of Muncie, a position he has held since January 2012. Since becoming mayor, a few of the things Tyler has accomplished include re-opening two fire stations, consolidating animal control and announcing nearly 100 new jobs.

Mayor Dennis Tyler shares how important it is for key players in the community to band together to combat the meth issue. Phylisia Donaldson reports.