Lieutenant Jonah Schutte grew up in Whittemore, Michigan. He attended Whittemore-Prescott High School and was very involved in a variety of sports. He was fortunate to be part of winning two state championships in wrestling and being a runner-up in football before graduating in 2000.
After graduating high school, the attacks of September 11th took place sparking a strong desire for him to serve and protect by becoming a Police Officer. This is when Jonah enrolled at the Kirtland Community College to begin his venture into Law Enforcement. He graduated from the KCC Regional Police Academy in 2004 with Summa Cum Laude honors and was also awarded Best in Defensive Tactics. While attending college, he walked on and made the starting Golf team for Kirtland. At one point, he was ranked 275th in the nation in Division II NCAA Golf.
Jonah landed his first full-time job as a Police Officer here with the Gerrish Township Police Department in 2004. He spent nine years serving our community and was also on the Gerrish Township Fire Department. He served as the agency’s Firearms Instructor, Taser instructor, Accident Investigator, and more. He was always engaged in the community and originated the ACT-NOW Golf Outing and ATV Raffle. He was also part of starting up Community Watch groups and many other various community events and fund raisers. He received accommodations for an OWI award, a Community Service Award, and Distinguished Expert in firearms.
In 2013, Jonah left Gerrish to take a position at the Roscommon County Sheriff’s Office. While there, he served three years as the Community Police Officer, starting and originating programs such as the Youth Police Academy, Citizens Police Academy, National Night Out and much more. He served one year as the Secondary Road Patrol and two years as a full-time investigator for the Northern Michigan Children’s Assessment Center specializing in sex crimes and crimes of violence against women. He was also part of the statewide Mission Investigation Team. He received the accommodation of a Distinguish Service Medal from the Sheriff’s Office.
In November of 2025 Jonah came back to Gerrish Township accepting the promotional position as Lieutenant. He enjoys all that our community has to offer and is proud to be able to raise his four children in our Roscommon Area Schools.
