Wednesday, December 27, 2023 - The Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office held its annual Awards Banquet and Christmas Dinner, December 18.
Sheriff Lane has held this banquet and dinner every year since taking office in 2017. “It has grown every year and has become a really great event. This year we had about 200 people in attendance,” Sheriff Lane said. “It’s hard to believe that this is my 7th Christmas as Sequoyah County Sheriff.”
2023 Award Winners:
Deputy of the Year: Shane Petree
Detention Officer of the Year: Autumn Reed
Investigator of the Year: Dwayne Frizzell
Employee of the Year: Tom Rogers
School Resource Officer of the Year: Jeff Mooneyham
Reserve Deputy of the Year: Herb Hutchinson
Sheriff’s Star Award: Randy Freeman
All but one of these awards are voted on by the deputies and employees of the sheriff’s office making it an honor to be chosen. Sheriff Lane said, “They have been chosen by their peers and co-workers as the most valuable person for their particular position.”
The Sheriff's Star Award was created by Sheriff Lane a few years ago and the recipient is chosen by Lane.
"I personally choose a deputy, investigator or employee that best represents our department in a positive and professional manner. In our profession we very rarely get compliments, thank yous or 'atta boys' from the public. Normally the only calls or letters we get are when a citizen wants to complain on a deputy or employee. But occasionally, there are a few that call me when they have had positive interactions with one of our deputies," Lane said.
“Deputy Freeman is a great asset to our department. He has several titles, and he’s on call 24/7 just like myself and the investigators. He’s our animal response deputy, sex offender registrar, and basically handles any day-to-day duties that may pop up. Randy probably gets more call outs than all of the investigators do. The deputies call on him for help almost daily. Even though he lives in Broken Arrow, he’s always willing to come out and help. He cares about his job, this department and the people of this community. He handles his calls professionally and never complains," added Lane.
“In 2023 we were able to purchase twenty new or used patrol vehicles and all of them were purchased with cash that we have taken from drug traffickers and with the money we save by doing our own maintenance. We did not have to use any taxpayer money or any money from our budget. We did not have to lease or finance any of them. We were able to pay cash for all twenty vehicles. That’s unheard of for an agency of our size," Undersheriff Charles House shared.
Sheriff Lane said, "We also honored several 'old timers' at this year’s banquet. We had former Sheriff Johnny Philpot, Undersheriff Roy Coleman, deputies and investigators Frank Loyd, Roger Fuller and Dave Haskins, as well as former Muldrow Chief Tony Lewis attend the banquet. I made a VIP section for these guys and thanked them all for their previous service to the county as well as helping me along the way in my career. I also spoke to the crowd about how things have changed since these guys worked here. It was great to get these guys together."
Sheriff Lane went on to say, “I am also thankful for our three county commissioners and the support they give us. They always recognize the needs of our law enforcement and the detention center and have never hesitated to give us budget increases when I’ve asked. Even though they often get push back from one of the other county officials, they still continue to do the right thing. This county is very fortunate to have these three commissioners in office."
Sheriff Larry Lane said, “We are so blessed to have so many supporters from all over the county that help sponsor our banquet and dinner to recognize the great work being done by our deputies, investigators, detention officers and employees.”
Sheriff Lane would like to thank the following sponsors for making this year’s banquet possible.
Akins BBQ, Firstar Bank, Armstrong Bank, Brian “ Pigman” and Junie Quaca, Local Bank of Sallisaw, Cato Creek Cattle Company, Lakeside Marine & ATV Repair, Roland Hardware, Victory Pawn & Gun, Rosa Scott Looper, Sallisaw Walmart, Rick’s Tires-Muldrow, Wildhorse BBQ, Callahan Cove Marina, Frazier Pools, Zoom Bail Bonds, Armory Outfitters, Merrill Bonding, Forever Memories Funeral Home Scoufus Law Offices, Sullivan Law Offices, Blue Ribbon Chevrolet, Rocky’s Corner Pawn & Gun, City Tele Coin, Northeastern Health Systems, Tiger Commissary, East End Liquors, Phillip Green LLC, Hog Creek Towing, DIGI Systems, Tractor Supply, Subway in Roland, Harry Robinson Ford and several other private, individual donors.
KXMX Staff Writer
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