County Prosecutor
Timothy S. Sell
Shelby County Prosecutor
Timothy S. Sell is an experienced trial attorney having practiced law for more than thirty years. Sensing a need for change in the community, Tim ran for and was elected the Chief Shelby County Prosecuting Attorney in November 2012. Tim was raised in Tipp City, Ohio and graduated from Tippecanoe High School in 1976. He graduated from Marietta College in 1980 where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. Tim attended The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, earning a Juris Doctor degree in 1983 and graduating with honors.
Tim was admitted to the Ohio Bar in November 1983. Shortly after admittance, Tim joined the Judge Advocate General’s Office of the United States Air Force. He served as a J.A.G. Officer from 1984 through 1989 in both Texas and Colorado. He was honorably discharged at the rank of Captain. After leaving the J.A.G. Office in 1989, Tim moved to Shelby County and worked at the law firm of Faulkner, Garmhausen, Keister & Shenk, L.P.A. as a criminal and civil litigator. In 1994, Tim joined the Shelby County Public Defender’s Office as an assistant public defender and was eventually appointed Chief Public Defender for the county. In conjunction with the Public Defender Office position, Tim formerly established and operated his own law firm, Sell, Hegemann & Zimmerman, Co., L.P.A. Tim was the Senior Partner in the firm and his practice focused primarily on domestic relations, civil litigation, personal injury and probate. Tim is also admitted to practice law in the Southern and Northern District Courts of Ohio. As Shelby County Prosecuting Attorney, Tim handles the most serious felonies committed in the county. Tim has a wide range of duties in the Prosecutor’s Office, including, but not limited to, determining which cases will be brought before the Grand Jury; the representation of the State of Ohio in the most serious felony cases; the handling of felony preliminary hearings at the municipal court; the handling of all misdemeanor cases which occur in the villages of Shelby County; and the handling of various civil and collection matters for all county agencies and townships in Shelby County.
Tim is an active member of his community. He has served as the legal advisor for the Sidney High School Mock Trial Team. Tim is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and has served as President of the Shelby County Bar Association. Tim and his wife, Kathy, reside in Sidney. Their eldest daughter, Samantha, resides in Centerville, Ohio with her husband and son. Their youngest daughter, Alicia, resides in California with her husband and son. In his spare time, Tim enjoys reading and playing golf and racquetball.
