By Tyler Rothwell
After more than 30 years working in criminal justice, the Rockbridge Regional Jail superintendent is retiring this summer and will work as a pastor at two churches in Augusta County.
Derek Almarode became a pastor last year and has been doing pastoral work part-time on Sundays.
“I was commissioned and installed officially in January of 2025,” said Almarode, who is a pastor at Bethel Presbyterian Church and Bethany Church in Augusta County.
He has worked at the Rockbridge Regional Jail for the past 10 years, starting as a lieutenant there in 2016.
Almarode, 53, began his role as superintendent at the jail in 2017, taking over in a time of crisis for the facility. Almarode’s predecessor, John Higgins, retired in 2017 when Virginia State Police expanded an investigation into a variety of allegations that included several instances of alleged assault involving inmates in the sex offenders’ block.
After a six-day bench trial in 2020, Higgins was convicted of three counts of deprivation of civil rights for denying medical care to an inmate and failing to protect two inmates from physical abuse; one count of conspiracy to commit mail and honest services fraud; and two counts of mail and honest services fraud for accepting things of value in exchange for engaging in official acts, according to a press release from the Western District of Virginia’s U.S. Attorney’s Office. He was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.
Over his tenure at the jail, Almarode has worked to fix numerous problems. One of the main issues was that not every inmate had a bed to sleep on.
“As an administrator in this building, that was a problem that I had when I came here,” he said. “We commissioned a project to put everyone in a bed … so, no one here is sleeping on the floor.”
The Rockbridge Regional Jail has been working towards an expansion for the past four years. The jail currently operates at 210% of its suggested capacity of 55.
“I think the biggest problem that we have faced is internally working with the contractors to determine the needs of the sheriff’s office and the jail,” Ed Hoskins, a member of the jail commission said.
Contractors are still studying the needs of the jail and sheriff’s office.
“They’re working on some additional stuff, and I think they’re going to put together a regional committee to study it even further,” Almarode said.
He currently serves as the president of the Virginia Association of Regional Jails. He’ll be stepping down from that position when he leaves Rockbridge Regional Jail.
“It has been an immense honor to serve the commission, the staff, and the communities of the greater Rockbridge area,” Almarode said in a press release.
Hoskins said he appreciates the work Almarode has done during a challenging time.
“I am grateful for his years of service and excellence in leadership,” Hoskins said in a press release.
A new career path
According to the Bethel Presbyterian Church, Almarode completed his training to become a pastor and received his certification through A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians in January 2025.
The Bethel Presbyterian Church transitioned from the Presbyterian Church (USA) to the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians.
“Throughout that transition, which took several years, I went back to school,” Almarode said.
Once Almarode completed his training, he applied to become a pastor at both churches.
“I completed my training and then I stood examination prior for the role as pastor in both churches,” Almarode said.
He was then asked to serve as pastor at both Bethel Presbyterian Church and Bethany Church.
Almarode grew up in Augusta County and attended Riverheads High School in Staunton. As a child he attended Pines Chapel, which was Bethel’s chapel at the time.
He lives in Staunton with his wife Cindy, who currently serves Bethel Presbyterian Church as an elder, a role Almarode had before becoming a pastor.
“COVID hit churches pretty hard all the way through the valley,” Almarode said.
Almarode said he decided to pursue becoming a pastor when he saw the challenges the pandemic brought to churches in the Shenandoah Valley.
The jail commission said it plans to have the next superintendent by June to ensure for a seamless transition. The job application is closing on March 31 and the commission has received several applications, according to Almarode.