ABOUT THE CANDIDATE

Cheyenne P. Shepherd announced her candidacy for Judge of the Howard County Circuit Court. Judge Shepherd currently serves as Howard County’s first Magistrate Judge, a position to which she was selected in 2019 by the five county judges.

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As Magistrate Judge, Judge Shepherd presides over the initial stages of both criminal and civil cases and performs numerous pretrial and post-trial judicial functions. During her six years on the bench, she has proven to be an effective, efficient, and principled jurist, as demonstrated by the following accomplishments:

• Judge Shepherd was tasked with resolving sentence violations for all Level 6 felony offenders due to a significant case backlog and jail overcrowding. Her efforts reduced the average time these cases were pending from 181 days to just 14 days.

• In 2024, Judge Shepherd was elected Chair of the Howard County Community Corrections Advisory Board, a body comprised of local elected officials and community leaders responsible for overseeing probation and community corrections. She was re-elected to this position in 2025.

• Judge Shepherd created the “Fix Your License” program, which assists Howard County residents in regaining their driving privileges. To date, nearly 300 community members have had their licenses restored through this program.

• Judge Shepherd was approved by the Indiana Supreme Court’s Office of Court Services to oversee Howard County’s Drug and Re-Entry Courts. Without her leadership, these programs would have been terminated.

• Throughout her tenure, Judge Shepherd has demonstrated fiscal responsibility by reducing the Magistrate Court’s administrative budget by more than 15 percent, saving local tax dollars.​

 

Cheyenne lives in Howard County with her husband, Chad, and their four children. She is proud to call Kokomo home and considers it an honor to serve this community. If elected Circuit Court Judge, she will continue to uphold the values of fairness, efficiency, and accountability.