Detective Jay Mitchener was hired onto the Marion Police Department in April of 2004. After 11 years on Patrol, Mitchener became a Detective, a dream role he pursued since joining MPD.
“Being able to be a voice for the victim when they’re not able to be that voice for themselves, and working a crime scene to find evidence that leads us to finding a suspect and eventually bring justice to the crime…that’s my end goal,” expressed Mitchener of the rewards of the job.
He most recently worked a child molest case that went to court and resulted in conviction with sentencing to occur this month (July 2022).
Mitchener is known to have worked a child molest case known around the world. In 2018, a Marion man, Nicholas Deon Thrash, was sentenced to 160 years in prison for ten counts of child molestation for forcing a 10-year-old girl to have sex with him over a two-year period, also impregnating her.
In reflection, Mitchener said, “this conviction shows that the effort put into a case can pay off, and the family can have the justice for what was done to the victim.”
Mitchener is a certified Crime Scene Investigator on a team of detectives who investigate severe crimes including collecting evidence and preserving the scene.
Chief Angela Haley said of Michener, “Jay is a dedicated employee who works hard to give closure to victims of crime.”
Deputy Chief Larry Shaw added, “I worked alongside Jay in Detectives when he first came to the unit. Jay is always willing to learn, and if you need help, he is the first to step up. Jay, today, will offer advice to young officers to help them investigate cases. He also took the lead with the Grant County Judges to rework how we conduct probable cause hearings on the weekends.”
Mitchener also serves on the MPD Honor Guard.
