Meet the Facility
Facility Name: Medina County Sheriff's Office
Website: https://medinasheriff.org Location: Medina, Ohio Year Built/Opened: 1996 Average Daily Population: 194 Males; 42 Females; 0 Juveniles Warden: Lt. Dean Lesak Number of Staff: 75 Uniformed; 2 Civilian Operating Budget: $15,949,153.00 Method of Inmate Supervision: Direct Supervision Point of Contact: Sergeant Michael Sidelka, msidelka@ohmedinaco.org
The mission of the Medina County Jail is “to provide care, custody, and control of incarcerated persons, while showing compassion, dignity, emptathy, respect, and understanding, in an attempt to correct and rehabilitate behavior, and return persons to our community with a sense of self-improvement.”
The Medina County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Terry Grice, holds strong to the values of Honesty, Integrity, Loyalty, and Professionalism. It is located central to the county within its urban city of the same name. Medina County is home to a population of around 181.5 thousand residents amongst its 17 townships, seven villages, and four cities. The Jail Unit of the Sheriff’s Office, designed to hold 256 inmates, employs 61 officers, six corporals, seven sergeants, and is under the leadership of Lieutenant Dean Lesak and Captain Eric Bors.
Lt. Lesak has taken the jail and evolved it into a center for growth and rehabilitation for the incarcerated individuals who find themselves under arrest in the county. We offer a variety of programs to promote self-growth, such as specialized worker programs like the “In2Work” program in partnership with Aramark. Under the supervision of Sergeant Michael Sidelka, this program allows eligible and interested inmates to receive their state “ServSafe” certification that demonstrates aptitude in restaurant management. Inmates are also capable of receiving their G.E.D., attending life skills courses, and anger management courses.
We understand that mistakes can be made. The jail is designed to allow incarcerated individuals to utilize their time to improve themselves. However, not everyone that comes into our facility is ready to make that positive adjustment to their lives. Some just want to cause trouble. When such an inmate is spending time in our facility, they will be met with appropriate discipline. The safety of our staff is important, and, under the supervision of Sergeant Jennifer Young, we ensure we have the right tools and training to react to dangerous situations. We have newer, less lethal options to choose from. Sergeant Young also oversees the yearly training of members on the “Emergency Response Team,” a specialized team to respond to all necessary responses to resistance.
Not only do we train our team members to be ready for such emergent responses out of care for their physical health, but we also care about their mental health. In 2022, Medina County Sheriff’s Office received a state grant for annual clinician to officer wellness sessions and consultants. This is completed under the supervision of Gail Houk, Director of Forensic Services for Alternative Paths, a healthcare service that provides outpatient behavioral health services throughout Medina County. All members, uniformed or not, may sit with a mental health clinician to speak about their well-being, or express concerns over their work-life balance. The program has been well received by staff.