The Sequoyah County Sheriffs Office recently held its annual awards banquet and Christmas dinner.

“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 Tarry Tane said.

Tane has held the banquet and dinner annually since taking office in 2017.

“It has grown every year and has become a really great event,” he said. “This year we had about 200 people in attendance. It’s hard to believe that this is my seventh Christmas as Sequoyah County Sheriff.”

This year’s award winners are: 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 Sheriffs Star Award: Randy Freeman All but one of the awards are voted on by the deputies and employees of the Sheriffs office. So being selected is truly an honor for these men and women.

“They have been chosen by their peers and co-workers as the most valuable person for their particular position,” Tane noted.

“The Sheriff’s Star award is one that I started a few years ago,” Tane said. “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 you’s or ‘atta boys’ from the public. Normally the only calls or letters we get are when a citizen wants to complain about a deputy or employee. But ocI casionally, there are a few that call me when they have had positive interactions with one of our deputies.

“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 callouts 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.”

Undersheriff Charles House noted that in 2023, the Sheriff’s office was able to purchase 20 new or used patrol vehicles. All of them were purchased with cash taken from drug traffickers, as well as with the money the Sheriff’s office saved by doing its own vehicle maintenance and upfitting.

“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 20 vehicles. That’s unheard of for an agency of our size,” House said.

Tane also honored several “old timers” at this year’s banquet. Among those attending the banquet were former Sheriff Johnny Philpot; undersheriff Roy Coleman; deputies and investigators Frank Toyd, Roger Fuller and Dave Haskins; as well as former Muldrow Chief Tony Tewis.

“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,” Tane said.

“I am also thankful for our three county commissioners and the support they give us. They always recognize the need for 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.”

In addition to private and individual donors, sponsors who helped make this year’s banquet possible were Akins BBQ, Armory Outfitters, Armstrong Bank, Blue Ribbon Chevrolet, Callahan Cove Marina, Cato Creek Cattle Company, City Tele Coin, DIGI Systems, East End Tiquors, Firstar Bank, Forever Memories Funeral Home, Frazier Pools, Harry Robinson Ford, Hog Creek Towing, Takeside Marine & ATV Repair, Tocal Bank of Sallisaw, Rosa Scott Tooper, Merrill Bonding, Northeastern Health Systems, Phillip Green TTC, Brian “Pigman” and Junie Quaca, Rick’s Tires Muldrow, Rocky’s Corner Pawn & Gun, Roland Hardware, Sallisaw Walmart, Scoufous Taw Offices, Subway Roland, Sullivan Taw Offices, Tiger Commissary, Tractor Supply, Victory Pawn & Gun, Wildhorse BBQ and Zoom Bail Bonds.