I have been blessed to have a long and extraordinary career in my chosen field, law enforcement. I’ve had the privilege of being trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S Department of Justice, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and of course where my career started at the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. All of these opportunities and learning experiences, along with working with other Sheriff’s Offices and Police Departments, have overtime prepared me to be the right person for Sheriff of Putnam County. Putnam County is where I was born and raised, and where I’ve chosen to live my life. This community isn’t just where I work but also where I’ve raised my family and where I plan to stay.
I graduated from East Tennessee State University with a Criminal Justice Degree and moved back to Putnam County where I started my career in 1989 with Sheriff Jerry Abston as a Deputy Sheriff and then later on as Jail Administrator. In 1994 I then went to Tennessee Highway Patrol Criminal Investigation Division and worked there up until 2006 when I went to work for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. In 2014, with the support of of my family, friends, and neighbors I was proudly sworn in as Putnam County Sheriff. As I promised since day one, I have and will continue to use all of my extensive law enforcement training and experience to serve the Citizens of Putnam County.
I’ve always held myself to the highest standards of conduct, and I expect the same from every member of our Office. Our core values are integrity, courage, compassion, professionalism, accountability and respect. We work hard to ensure those values are reflected in everything we do. The role of the Sheriff is to enforce the laws as written and to do so fairly and firmly. I understand how critical it is to build strong partnerships with our community because public safety is something we can only achieve together. By upholding professional standards and working side by side with our Citizen’s I will continue to lead the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office with transparency, accountability, and purpose.
We’re facing new challenges with the growth of Putnam County and we have had tremendous growth at the Sheriff’s Office in the past 10 years, but our work is not finished yet. A big part of being Sheriff is preparing for the future—hiring the right people, training them well, and making sure this Office is built on a solid foundation for the years to come. My Command Staff and I have worked hard to mentor our younger employees, modernize our training, and raise the standard of service. That doesn’t happen overnight. It’s something we’ve built piece by piece and we’re not done yet.