Hendricks County Republicans ask county auditor candidate to withdraw after felony conviction uncovered

HENDRICKS COUNTY, Ind. — A Republican candidate for Hendricks County Auditor is being asked by the party chair to withdraw after she reportedly had a felony conviction under another name.

According to a news release from the Hendricks County Republican Party, Anne Englehardt, the chair of the county’s party, is asking Sherri Spurlock, a Republican candidate for Hendricks County’s auditor, to suspend her campaign and withdraw from the race.

Englehardt is alleging that Spurlock, under the name Sherri Bear, was convicted of a felony in 2006. According to court documents, Spurlock pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of a dependent, a Class D felony, in March 2006. Court documents from April 2024 confirm that Spurlock has used two aliases, including Sherri Bear and Sherri Watson.

According to Hendricks County’s website, Spurlock is a Danville resident running for the county auditor position. Spurlock reports that she has more than 20 years of experience in banking, real estate and community engagement and is the county’s cartographer.

Under the plea, the felony charge for Sherri Spurlock, or Sherri Bear, could be modified to a misdemeanor after she successfully completed probation with no violations, according to court documents.

In a statement from Englehardt, she cited a portion of the Indiana code that states that a person cannot run for a county or state position if they were convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, a felony.

“The Hendricks County Republican Party learned of the allegation against Spurlock only recently,” Englehardt said in the statement. “I communicated privately with Ms. Spurlock and asked her to suspend her campaign for this reason. I wish Ms. Spurlock well, but the Hendricks County Republican Party cannot support a candidate for office who has an alleged felony conviction on her record. Likewise, the party feels that voters ought to know about this situation and the reason for our request.”

Ann Stark is another Republican candidate who is running for the county’s auditor position. According to the county’s website, Stark said she has worked in the auditor’s office for six years in various positions. As auditor, Stark said she would hold the office “to a high standard with the taxpayers.”

“Normally, the Republican Party remains neutral during contested primaries, but in this situation, the party felt compelled to act,” Englehardt said in the statement. “I asked Ms. Spurlock to stop her campaign but have not heard whether she intends to do so… This is a sad situation. I hoped it wouldn’t come to this. However, the Hendricks County Republican Party acknowledges political reality and the rule of law and again asks Ms. Spurlock to suspend her campaign.”

FOX59/CBS4 has reached out to Spurlock about the status of her campaign. This story will be updated if she returns the request for comment.

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