John was born and raised in Madison County, Indiana. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and later graduated from Ball State before embarking on a 30-year career with the U.S. Marshals Service.

In 2007, he was promoted to Supervisory Inspector in Indianapolis to oversee the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force. His team took that task force and expanded it from two cities to every major city in Indiana.

During that time, he worked with 26 partner agencies — federal, state, and local. He has worked with chiefs of police and sheriffs across the state of Indiana.

After winning election in 2022, he took office Jan. 1, 2023 as the first Republican Sheriff in Madison County since 1982.