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Ohio’s first female county sheriff, Maude Charles Collins (1893-1972) of Vinton County was appointed to finish her husband Fletcher’s term after he was killed in the line of duty in October 1925. In 1926, she ran for the office in her own right on the Democratic ticket and handily beat males in both the primary and general elections. “Sheriff Maude” investigated crimes, answered calls, patrolled roads, and performed the duties of her office, all while raising five children. She gained national attention for solving an intriguing double murder case in 1926, later featured in Master Detective and Startling Detective magazines. In 1927 she was the first woman to deliver inmates to the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus. Collins, a pioneering woman in law enforcement, was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000. She is buried in Hamden Cemetery.