MANSFIELD — The Richland County Jail has a new administrator, but a familiar face in area law enforcement circles.
Former Ashland County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dave Blake, 65, is replacing Richland County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Chris Blunk in the top spot at the 266-bed county corrections facility that opened in 2008 at 73. Second St. in downtown Mansfield.
It’s apparently a one-year deal for Blake, who told Ashland Source on Wednesday he plans to retire in 2026 once his wife becomes eligible for Medicaid and Medicare.
The opportunity, he said, came together quickly, leading to a hire that was effective Tuesday.
“They called me last week and told me, ‘We’re in trouble over here, will you help us?’ Blake said during a “going-away” ceremony at the ACSO for Blake and two other deputies.
“Well, I like a good challenge,” he said.
Blunk, who began with the RCSO in 1998, tendered his resignation March 31, effective April 1, according to RCSO Maj. Joe Masi.
Blunk will remain on the county payroll through Sept. 8, using paid time off he had accrued.
Neither Masi nor RCSO Capt. Jim Sweat commented when asked why Blunk had resigned abruptly.
The Richland Source filed a public records request Wednesday to review Blunk’s personnel file, which should include his resignation letter.
Sheriff Steve Sheldon was not available for comment Wednesday.
Blake has spent the last 47 years with the Ashland County Sheriff’s office, starting as a civilian dispatcher in 1978. He graduated from the peace officer academy in 1980, when he began working in the Ashland County Jail.
In 2021, former Ashland County Sheriff Wayne Risner hired him as chief deputy, an administrative role, and essentially Risner’s number two.
Masi said Blake will be assigned the rank of captain and given the title of jail administrator. He will be paid an annual salary of $103,563.20 at his new position, according to Masi, at the hourly rate of $49.79.
Blunk has been the face of the county jail since taking over as administrator in 2013.
He earned the national designation of Certified Jail Manager by the authority of the American Jail Association through the Jail Manager Certification Commission in 2016.
Blunk’s tenure leading the jail included the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020.
He and his staff have handled several inmate deaths at the Richland County Jail in recent years.
There were two deaths at the jail in 2024, both involving inmates who had issues with drug abuse before coming into the facility.
In the last two years, Blunk helped push for enhanced medical services at the jail, including a medication-assisted treatment program for inmates suffering from drug addictions.
During budget discussions with the Richland County Board of Commissioners, Blunk said the costs for such a program were prohibitive.
The RCSO signed a one-year, $700,590 contract with Southern Health Partners in March of 2024 to provide care in the jail and renewed that deal in 2025.
That decision came after Sheldon and Blunk, in January of 2024, said they hoped to sign a contract that would provide an “enhanced option” in the department’s next jail medical services contract.
That would include the addition of a second Licensed Practical Nurse at the jail 24/7 (including holidays) and a “very comprehensive (drug/alcohol) treatment program” for inmates.
The cost of those enhanced services would have resulted in an annual contract of between $1.1 and $1.8 million, they said, ultimately deciding the cost was prohibitive.
Last month, however, jail officials announced a new $250,000 state grant will allow the jail to begin offering enhanced medical services for inmates with drug addictions.
That was the message during a meeting between commissioners and Richland County Sheriff’s Office Lt. James Myers, the assistant jail administrator.
The grant from the Ohio Attorney General’s office is for one year, though the RCSO may apply for equal amounts for each of the next two years, Myers told commissioners, adding he believes it will be renewed.
Myers said the OAG has $60 million in “opioid remediation grant” funds and will award $20 million in each of the next years.
He said Sheldon applied for the grant, the size of which is based on the size of the county jail. Funds are expected to arrive in April, he said.
Myers said the program would allow the jail medical staff to supply medication to “help wean off” inmates who come into the facility with drug addictions.
“We will also offer counseling sessions … with the person while they’re in the facility,” he said.
The hope would be to tie that individual into treatment programs in the community once they are released from the county jail.
“That would hopefully reduce the likelihood of them coming back to the facility or committing another crime,” Myers said.
Grant funds would be spent with Southern Health Partners to pay the salaries of a program coordinator and a nurse to run the medication-assisted treatment effort, as well as cover additional physician hours for the program and the drug counseling work.