Gaines’ service celebrated, training room to be named in his honor
Published 6:00 am Saturday, January 25, 2025
Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines, Warren County’s longest serving sheriff, chuckles as the Fiscal Court holds a recognition ceremony in his honor at the Warren County Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
A rendering of the Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines Training Room to be in the new Warren County Sheriff’s Training Center at the Sugar Maple Square is unveiled in honor of Warren County’s longest serving sheriff during the Fiscal Court’s recognition ceremony for Gaines’ career at the Warren County Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines, Warren County’s longest serving sheriff, is greeted by friends, family and members of the community as the Fiscal Court holds a recognition ceremony in his honor at the Warren County Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Memorabilia of the career of Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines, Warren County’s longest serving sheriff, is set out on display as friends, family and members of the community gather for the Fiscal Court’s recognition ceremony in his honor at the Warren County Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Sheriff Brett Hightower speaks during the Fiscal Court’s recognition ceremony in honor of Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines, Warren County’s longest serving sheriff, at the Warren County Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Judge-Executive Doug Gorman speaks during the Fiscal Court’s recognition ceremony in honor of Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines, Warren County’s longest serving sheriff, at the Warren County Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Attorney Amy Hale Chandler shares stories of Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines, Warren County’s longest serving sheriff, during the Fiscal Court’s recognition ceremony in his honor at the Warren County Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
The Warren County Magistrates read a proclamation naming January 23, 2025, as “Jerry ‘Peanuts’ Gaines Day” in honor of Warren County’s longest serving sheriff during the Fiscal Court’s recognition ceremony in Gaines’ honor at the Warren County Courthouse on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
It felt like old times Thursday in the Warren County Courthouse, with several people stopping by for a moment of face time with former Warren County Sheriff Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines.
The county’s longest serving sheriff was honored by the Warren County Fiscal Court in a ceremony announcing that the training and community room in the Sugar Maple Square complex that will be the future home of the WCSO will bear Gaines’ name.
Warren County Judge-Executive Doug Gorman said he hoped the new headquarters would be open by the end of this year.
“What I can tell you is the entire community is proud, Peanuts, of what you’ve done for the community,” Gorman said.
Fiscal court members also read a proclamation designating Thursday as Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines Day.
Gaines served as Warren County’s sheriff for a total of 36 years from 1978-82 and 1986-2018, earning distinction as the second-longest tenured sheriff Kentucky has seen.
During his time in office, Gaines implemented the D.A.R.E., Sheriff’s Citizens Academy and Neighborhood Watch programs, served five terms as president of the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association, was elected president of the National Sheriff’s Association in 2000, was named by that organization as the National Sheriff of the Year in 2010 and served as president of the Kentucky Association of Counties in 2014.
Prior to his election as sheriff, Gaines was a magistrate on the fiscal court.
As for the nickname, “Peanuts” was handed to him as a child by his father, Emory “Peanuts” Gaines, who himself earned the moniker in his youth when a businessman saw him snacking on peanuts.
“It’s my day today, I didn’t know they were going to have it,” Gaines said after the event. “They got me out of home base and got me here. It was a surprise to me, but I’ve got a lot of friends in here.”
The tributes to Gaines’ service poured in during Thursday’s event, from Gorman along with Warren County Attorney Amy Chandler and current Sheriff Brett Hightower, who defeated Gaines for election in 2018.
“In order to be in this position, you must love people, you must be able to listen to people and help them resolve their daily issues,” Hightower said during Thursday’s event. “There was one thing Sheriff Gaines told me when I came into office and that was have a listening ear.”
Chandler said that Gaines impressed upon her the importance of approaching their respective jobs as public servants.
“He always told me your motto should always be service to the people because they’re who put you there and they’re going to expect that of you,” Chandler said. “You have been such a tremendous support for me and so many people, you are truly my friend until the very end.”
Chandler’s remarks were peppered with stories of the former sheriff’s well-earned reputation as the “ultimate politician.”
When the county was in competition for a grant several years ago, Chandler said the odds were long for the county to be awarded the grant until Gaines found out who administered the funds and scanned through his Rolodex to make a phone call.
About a week later, Chandler said the county was awarded the grant, but left it up in the air whether that was due to Gaines getting on the phone to “dog-cuss” then-Vice President Joe Biden.
