Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Joshua D. Muck, 28, of the Chillicothe Post has been named the post’s 2026 Trooper of the Year, the Patrol announced Friday, November 6. Muck was selected by his fellow troopers at the Ross County post, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and he now advances to consideration for district and state Trooper of the Year honors.
Fellow troopers cited Muck’s work attitude, leadership abilities, community engagement and professionalism with supervisors, peers and the public in making the selection, according to the Patrol’s announcement, which was reported by the Scioto Valley Guardian and Hopewell Heritage Headlines. The Patrol recognized him for his service throughout 2026 at the Chillicothe Post, according to the Scioto Valley Guardian’s report of the announcement.
Muck’s roots are in southern Ohio. He is a native of Minford, in Scioto County, and attended Minford High School before earning an associate degree in wildlife resource management from Hocking College, according to the Patrol. He joined the Ohio State Highway Patrol in 2021 as a member of its 168th Academy Class, and after graduating he was assigned to the Chillicothe Post, where he has served ever since.
His record at the post shows a specialty in criminal patrol and auto-theft enforcement. Muck received the Patrol’s Criminal Patrol Award in both 2024 and 2026, its ACE Award for auto larceny apprehension and enforcement in 2023, and an Award of Excellence for auto larceny work in 2024, according to the Patrol’s announcement reported by both outlets.
The post honor is the first rung of a ladder: each Highway Patrol post names a Trooper of the Year chosen by peers, and post winners advance to district consideration and then to the single State Trooper of the Year award. Hopewell Heritage Headlines reported that Muck advances in the Patrol’s Jackson District. The district and state awards will be announced at a later date, according to the Patrol — no date has been given.
A win at the state level would give Chillicothe a notable streak. The Patrol’s official magazine, Flying Wheel, reported that Trooper Haley K. L. Shreck of the Chillicothe Post earned top honors as the 2025 State Trooper of the Year, selected from nine District Troopers of the Year. Muck’s selection puts the same post in contention for the statewide honor for a second straight year.
For Ross County drivers, the award recognizes the trooper they are most likely to meet on U.S. 23, U.S. 50 and the county’s state routes — and, by the Patrol’s account, one whose peers judged him on the everyday parts of the job: attitude, leadership and engagement with the community he patrols. What happens next is the district and state selection process, and NewsForce247 will report the Patrol’s announcement when those honors are named.
Photo: Raymond Wambsgans, CC BY-SA