Aaron M. Henderson
Lifelong Blackford County resident running his first contested election, with 36+ years of criminal-justice experience spanning DARE / community-policing in Hartford City, 20 years in the Blackford County Probation Department, 11 years in private practice, 9 years as Jay County Public Defender, and his current role as Chief Public Defender of Blackford County. Frames his case for prosecutor around case-expediting discipline ahead of the 2028 Superior Court closure.
The 60-second story
Aaron M. Henderson is the Republican primary challenger to incumbent Joelle Freiburger for the Blackford County Prosecuting Attorney's office. The May 5, 2026 Republican primary is the de facto general election for the seat — no Democrat had filed by the February 6, 2026 deadline, though the Indiana Democratic Party retains the option to fill the open ballot line via party caucus after the primary.
Henderson is a lifelong Blackford County resident with a 36+-year career across the criminal-justice system. He has worked in 'various of public service since 1991' — beginning as a DARE Officer for Hartford City, then 20 years in the Blackford County Probation Department (retiring in August 2015 after the department had named him Chief Probation Officer), 11+ years operating his own private law practice (Aaron M. Henderson Law Office, Hartford City, since 2015), 9 years as Public Defender in Jay County, and most recently — since 2024 — as Chief Public Defender of Blackford County.
He earned his B.A. in Criminal Justice from Anderson University in 1995, a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Valdosta State University in 2001, and a J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Lansing, Michigan in May 2014, graduating Cum Laude with high honors in Trial Skills, Pre-Trial Skills, Estate Planning, and Family Law. He has served as an Adjunct Faculty member at Indiana Wesleyan University, teaching courses in the LEAP (Leadership Education for Adult Professionals) Program at the Associates, Bachelor, and Masters levels. He has also served as a Director of the Blackford County Community Foundation in a prior tenure.
His prosecutor campaign frames itself around three pillars: 36+ years of cumulative criminal-justice experience 'from all aspects' of the system; the operational discipline needed to expedite criminal cases ahead of the 2028 Blackford Superior Court closure; and pragmatic plea-bargaining decisions that consult both arresting officers and victims while pursuing both punishment and long-term rehabilitation. He emphasizes mental-health and addiction-treatment infrastructure shortfalls as a central public-safety issue.
Quick facts
- Residence Hartford City, Indiana (lifelong Blackford County resident)
- Education Blackford HS (1989); BA Criminal Justice, Anderson University (1995); MA Public Administration, Valdosta State (2001); JD Cum Laude, Thomas M. Cooley School of Law (2014)
- Current role Chief Public Defender, Blackford County (since 2024); Owner / Attorney, Aaron M. Henderson Law Office, Hartford City (since 2015)
- Prior career Public Defender, Jay County (9 years); Probation Officer, Blackford County Probation Department, ending as Chief (1995-2015, ~20 years); DARE Officer, Hartford City (early 1990s)
- Civic and academic roles Adjunct Faculty, Indiana Wesleyan University (LEAP Program, Associates/Bachelor/Masters); former Director, Blackford County Community Foundation; Blackford County Community Corrections Advisory Board (current)
- Practice areas (private firm) Elder Law, Estate Planning, Criminal Defense, Social Security & Medicare/Medicaid benefits, expungements, disability claims, family law
- Bar admissions Indiana State Bar
- Office contact Aaron M. Henderson Law Office, 502 W. Main Street, Hartford City, IN 47348
Three things voters should know
He's been working in Blackford County criminal justice since 1991 — 36+ years across all sides of the system
Henderson's career spans more years and more roles than nearly any prosecutor candidate in any Indiana primary this cycle. He started as a DARE Officer for Hartford City in 1991, joined the Blackford County Probation Department around 1995 and worked there for 20 years (retiring as Chief Probation Officer in August 2015), opened his own law practice in 2015 and has been in private practice for 11+ years, served 9 years as Jay County Public Defender, and assumed the Chief Public Defender role in Blackford County in 2024. His campaign framing — 'I have over 36 years of experience in the criminal justice system from all aspects' — is factually accurate and substantively distinctive.
He came to law school as a second career
While most Indiana prosecutor candidates come up through traditional 20s-to-30s law school paths, Henderson went to law school in his late 30s to early 40s while still working full-time in the Blackford County Probation Department. He graduated Cum Laude from Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in May 2014 with high honors in Trial Skills, Pre-Trial Skills, Estate Planning, and Family Law. He retired from probation in August 2015 — opening his solo practice that same year. The path is unusual: he was a 20-year probation veteran with a Master's in Public Administration before he ever became a lawyer, giving him a different ground-level perspective on the criminal-justice system than career attorneys typically have.
His policy framing on plea agreements differs sharply from the incumbent's
Freiburger frames plea offers as requiring explicit victim approval ('It is a long-standing policy in my office that plea offers are not to be extended without the approval of the victim'). Henderson frames plea agreements as a necessary system-management tool: 'Plea agreements are a necessary part of the criminal justice system. Otherwise the system would be at a standstill with the number of cases that would have to go to trial. Any plea agreement should include discussions with the arresting officer(s) and the victims of the crime to ensure that an element of punishment as well as a long-term goal of rehabilitation is achieved. Every case has its own unique details.' The two framings differ materially in how much veto power victims hold over plea bargaining — a substantive philosophical contrast at the heart of the race.
Biography
Aaron M. Henderson was born in approximately 1971 and grew up in Blackford County, Indiana. He graduated from Blackford High School in 1989 and began his career in public service in 1991, initially serving as a DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Officer for Hartford City — a community-policing role that pairs sworn law-enforcement officers with school-based drug-prevention curriculum delivery. The DARE Officer position typically operates within a city police department, and Henderson's framing of his early career as serving 'with Hartford City's police department' reflects this institutional placement.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Anderson University in 1995 — Anderson University is a private Christian liberal arts university located in Anderson, Indiana, in neighboring Madison County, with strong programs in criminal justice and public administration. He went on to earn a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Valdosta State University in 2001. Valdosta State is a Georgia state university with online-degree programs widely used by mid-career public-sector professionals; Henderson's pursuit of the MPA during his probation career fits that pattern.
Beginning in approximately 1995, Henderson joined the Blackford County Probation Department, where he served for 20 years. He retired from the department in August 2015. The Hartford City News-Times candidate coverage describes him as having served 'with the Blackford County Probation Department as chief for 20 years,' though Henderson's own materials describe his role more simply as 'a probation officer' for 20 years; the most likely reconciliation is that he was promoted to Chief Probation Officer at some point during his tenure and was holding that role at retirement, having worked his way up from line probation officer over the 20-year career.
While still in the probation department, Henderson decided to pursue law as a second career. He enrolled at Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Lansing, Michigan — at the time the largest law school in the United States by enrollment, known for its accessibility to non-traditional students. He graduated in May 2014, earning his J.D. Cum Laude with high honors in Trial Skills, Pre-Trial Skills, Estate Planning, and Family Law. Following his August 2015 probation retirement, he opened his solo practice — Aaron M. Henderson Law Office, located at 502 W. Main Street in Hartford City — and has been in private practice for more than 11 years. His firm's specialization areas include Elder Law, Estate Planning, Criminal Defense, Social Security Benefits, Medicare/Medicaid benefits, criminal-law expungements, disability claims, and family law.
Concurrent with his private practice, Henderson served as Public Defender for Jay County (the 28th Judicial Circuit, immediately east of Blackford in east-central Indiana) for 9 years. In 2024 he assumed the role of Chief Public Defender for Blackford County itself. He continues to serve in this role as of the May 5, 2026 primary. His private firm has, since late 2024, included a second attorney — Savannah, a 2024 Indiana Bar admittee with a J.D. from Ohio Northern University's Claude W. Pettit College of Law — who handles family law, criminal defense, personal injury, and tort matters.
Henderson has supplemented his criminal-justice and legal career with civic and academic roles. He has served as Adjunct Faculty at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, teaching courses in the LEAP Program at the Associates, Bachelor, and Masters degree levels. The LEAP Program is IWU's adult-degree-completion program designed for working professionals. He has also served as a Director of the Blackford County Community Foundation in a prior tenure (he is not on the current 2025 board), reflecting active civic engagement before pivoting to elected-office candidacy. He sits on the Blackford County Community Corrections Advisory Board as Chief Public Defender.
Career
Business holdings & ownership
Memberships & affiliations
Indiana State Bar (admitted following 2014 J.D.), Blackford County Community Corrections Advisory Board (current; ex officio Chief Public Defender role), Indiana Wesleyan University LEAP Program faculty (former Adjunct Faculty), Blackford County Community Foundation Board of Directors (former Director)
Potential conflicts the Ledger has flagged
Henderson currently serves as Chief Public Defender for Blackford County, representing indigent criminal defendants in cases prosecuted by the very office he is seeking to lead. If he wins the Republican primary and the general election, he would transition from defending those cases to prosecuting them. Indiana professional conduct rules accommodate the switch — career prosecutors and public defenders frequently change sides, and his post-2014 career has already included multiple transitions across defense, private practice, and prosecution-adjacent work — but the transition would require recusal from any cases he previously personally defended, conflict-of-interest disclosure for any ongoing matters, and a reset period in which his previous client relationships are addressed under Rule 1.11 of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct (governing former government attorneys). Both Henderson and Freiburger have public-defender backgrounds, which is unusual but not unprecedented for an Indiana prosecutor primary; both have demonstrated substantive familiarity with the ethics framework. This is a transparency-disclosure observation rather than an alleged violation.
Prior government service
Positions, in their own words
"Presently there is a lack of mental health treatment options for offenders who are in dire need of long-term treatment with adequate medication controls. Officers are continually having to respond to repeat calls dealing with the same individuals with little resources to refer to. This applies to in-patient drug treatment programs as well."— Hartford City News-Times candidate Q&A, April 2026
"Upcoming challenges will include the loss of a court in Blackford County, requiring better management of criminal cases to expedite them through the court system to achieve more immediate consequences for criminal acts."— Hartford City News-Times candidate Q&A, April 2026
"Plea agreements are a necessary part of the criminal justice system. Otherwise the system would be at a standstill with the number of cases that would have to go to trial. Any plea agreement should include discussions with the arresting officer(s) and the victims of the crime to ensure that an element of punishment as well as a long-term goal of rehabilitation is achieved. Every case has its own unique details."— Hartford City News-Times candidate Q&A, April 2026
"As a lifelong resident of Blackford County, I know my community and I know the people. I have over 36 years of experience in the criminal justice system from all aspects. I understand what it means to be on the street as a police officer and the responsibility with it. My proven leadership experience shows my ability to work with multiple agencies achieving a high standard of success. I have years of experience working directly with criminal offenders helping them through the system to deal with addictions and mental health issues all while holding them accountable for their actions."— Hartford City News-Times candidate Q&A, April 2026
Where the money came from
$0 raised this cycle · 0 contributions
- Local CFA-4 not in state online system$0