Sheriff Hank Partin is a native of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, he graduated from Cape Charles High School in 1979, and received his Associate’s degree from Chowan College in Murfreesboro, NC. In 1981 he began pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice at Radford University.
In July of 1983 Sheriff Partin enlisted in the Virginia Army National Guard. He served in the National Guard, Army Reserves, and Active Duty from 1983 until retiring as Sergeant Major in 2004. He is a Veteran with over 22 ½ years of service and he has been deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He is a 1991 Graduate of the Army’s Drill Sergeant’s School at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and a 2003 Graduate of the United States Sergeant’s Major Academy in El Paso, TX. His awards include Two Meritorious Service Medals, The Army Commendation Medal, and Three Army Achievement Medals. Sheriff Partin retired in 2004 from the United States Army at the rank of Sergeant Major.
Sheriff Partin began his law enforcement career in 1987 with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District Police Department.
From 1988-1993, he worked for the Christiansburg Police Department, attaining the rank of Patrol Shift Sergeant and was one of the founding members of the Christiansburg Police Department’s Color Guard.
Sheriff Partin began his career with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in December 1993. Rising through the ranks, he began as a patrol deputy and prior to being elected Sheriff, served as Captain over the Criminal Warrants/Civil Process and Courthouse Security Divisions. He assumed the Office of Sheriff on January 1, 2016, and he is also a member of the Virginia Sheriff’s Institute’s First class of Virginia Certified Sheriffs.
Through the Department of Criminal Justice Services, Sheriff Partin was previously a General Instructor, Firearms Instructor, and Defensive Tactic Instructor. Sheriff Partin is also one of the Sheriff’s Office’s Honor Guard founding members and is extremely dedicated to the Honor Guard team’s mission. He often expresses the sentiment that there is no greater honor than to pay tribute to our Veterans and Fallen Law-Enforcement Officers.
He is married to Dana Partin who serves on the Montgomery County School Board representing District C. Sheriff Partin and Dana have a daughter, Alaina, who is a 2023 graduate of Christiansburg High School.