Tim Turner, a former Haskell County Sheriff, is continuing to serve the citizens of eastern Oklahoma as a member of the District 27 Drug Task Force.

Turner has over 20 years of law enforcement experience. In that time, he has served as a dispatcher, detention deputy, deputy sheriff, drug task force agent/ supervisor, DEA Task Force Officer, was elected Sheriff of Haskell County in 2016, and, most recently, was the Residence Agent in Charge of the Intelligence Unit for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

“I am thrilled to announce that Tim Turner has decided to join our team,” said District 27 District Attorney Jack Thorp. “He is an exceptional law enforcement officer, and his experience will serve the people of our communities very well.”

Turner began his career in law enforcement in 2003 and has received numerous awards, including the 2016 Oklahoma District Attorneys Council Investigator of the Year, 2019 Association of Oklahoma Narcotic Enforcers (A-ONE) Narcotics Agent of the Year, and 2021 Oklahoma Sheriffs’Association (OSA) Sheriff of the Year.

“I was excited to hear the news that Jack Thorp had hired Tim Turner to be the new director of the District 27 Drug Task Force,” Sequoyah County Sheriff Larry Lane said. “Having been a former DTF agent myself, I have missed seeing the drug busts, as well as the good working relationships that we used to have. I am looking forward to the new leadership and direction for the Task Force.”

Turner says he is excited to be back in eastern Oklahoma.

“I thank District Attorney Thorp and the staff for welcoming me on board,” Turner said. “You will see us working diligently with our local sheriffs’ offices and police departments, along with our federal partners. We can work any case with anyone as long as we all remember we are here to do one thing and that is to make sure the citizens of District 27 are protected.”

Turner is involved in many civic groups and was formerly a board member of A-ONE and OSA, as well as a commissioner with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

“Our main focus is going to be targeting organizations that are plaguing us from Fentanyl, methamphetamine and illegal marijuana grows,” Turner said. “No drug dealer will be safe. We will work with dignity and pride to make sure our citizens are safe.”

“I have worked with Tim for several years, both while he was a narcotics agent assigned to DEA and during his time as the Haskell County Sheriff,” said Lane. “He’s always been a honest, hard-working, proactive officer and is always willing to help anyone at any time. He took over Dec. 1, and on day one he was already helping my narcotics and interdiction officers with a trafficking case.”

“I’ve known Tim since he began his career in law enforcement in the mid-2000s. I’ve worked closely with him in the time since,” Thorp said, “and I know we’ll continue to work together to provide the most effective and efficient law enforcement services possible for the people of all of District 27.”