Jasper County Sheriff-Elect Chuck Havard names Jasper County Jail Administrator and Assistant Jail Administrator

By Jasper County Sheriff-Elect Chuck Havard

Above:Kenny Widner

I am pleased to announce my intentions to appoint Kenny Widner as Jail Administrator and Joe Pomponio as Assistant Jail Administrator for the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office on January 1st, 2025. 

Kenny Widner of Jasper is a 43-year law enforcement veteran. He began his career at the JCSO in 1981. He joined the Baytown Police Department in 1984. Kenny was promoted to Detective in February 1992. He retired from Baytown PD in July 2009 with 25 years of service. He was sworn in as Chief of Police for the Barbers Hill ISD, located in Mont Belvieu, Texas and retired from Barbers Hill ISD, June 2021 with 12 years of service. Upon retirement he moved back to Jasper, Texas and became a Jasper County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, where he currently serves. 

Above: Joe Pomponio

Joe Pomponio started his career in Corrections as a Jailer with TDCJ (Texas Dept of Criminal Justice) in October of 1993. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 2001 and retired in Nov 2021. Joe re-entered the Corrections field when he started with JCSO as a Jailer until January of 2024, when he was promoted to his current position as Assistant Jail Administrator, where he will continue to serve.

“I am looking forward to working with these two men, as they and the jail staff are vitally important to the operations of JCSO. It is my intent to make the Jasper County Jail one of the cleanest, safest and most efficient jails in the state of Texas. One of my primary duties will be operating a professionally run jail in compliance with Texas law and rules of the Jail Commission.”