Middletown elevates Nelson as city’s first Black police chief

Nelson, just shy of his 46th birthday, is the first Black police chief in the city’s history and was the department’s first Black sergeant when he was promoted in 2017.

“I don’t try to bring race into anything, but it is very important to my family from Kentucky,” Nelson said. “It is not about me. It is about people who look like me. That’s the way I look at it. I don’t like for anything to be just about me because I am about the team and how I can help everyone else,”

He is a native of Maysville, Ky. and is a graduate of Tiffin University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice.

After taking the oath of office administered by Middletown Municipal Court Judge James Sherron, he had his badge pinned on by his wife, Mica. Also on hand were his son and daughter, Matthew and Chloe. He has an older stepson, John Michael.

Acting City Manager Nathan Cahall congratulated Nelson, noting the appointment was the result of years of hard work.

“This appointment is earned and well deserved,” Cahall said. “We look forward to everything that you will do to make Middletown a better place each and every day

The 19-year veteran said he did not aspire to the chief’s position when he began his career. It wasn’t until 2015 that police department leaders saw something more in him, including former police Chief Rodney Muterspaw.

“Former Chief Muterspaw kept pushing me to go forward,” Nelson said. “Did I ever think I would be here? No. But I am ready, I guess I have to be at this point.”

He said he knows the post means “no more working cases” but as the sergeant in charge of the detective section, he functioned largely as an administer so he had some time to get used to pulling away from hands-on work.

Nelson’s salary as police chief is $131.600.

“It’s an honor to be selected for this position. I want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement,” Nelson said after his appointment. “I also want to thank all the people who took part in the selection process for chief. This was a tough decision because all of the candidates are exceptional leaders. This police department and city have the most dedicated employees in the area and I cannot wait to get to work.”

The division of police had two acting police chiefs at the helm since December, when then-chief David Birk was placed on administrative leave. He later signed a voluntary separation agreement. Deputy Chief Eric Crank was named acting chief until his retirement in April. Deputy Chief Andy Warrick was named acting chief in April.