Sequoyah County, Oklahoma Sheriff's Office

Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office serves a population of over 38,972 people in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. In 2007, the sheriffs department became the first in the state to arrest illegal immigrants under Oklahoma's new law, the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 [ [http://www.sequoyahcountytimes.com/articles/2008/02/13/news/afront.txt Sequoyoa County Times article] ] . Currently, the jail is ran by the Sequoyah County Criminal Justice Authority, with a board consisting of the sheriff and three county commisioners. The jail is overseen by the Jail Administrator, currently Christine Calbert [ [http://www.sequoyahcountysheriff.org/info.htm Sequoya County Sheriff page] ] . In mid-2008, incumbent sheriff Johnny W. Philpot was defeated by candidate Ron Lockhart, a 20 year police veteran of the Ft. Smith, Arkansas Police Department. Ron Lockhart's uncle, Sam Lockhart is a former sheriff in the county [ [http://www.kfsm.com/Global/story.asp?S=8763233 KFSM TV site] ] .

History

On August 27, 1926, Deputy Sheriff Perry Chuculate was shot and killed while searching for a stolen vehicle. He and another deputy stopped a speeding car. The car was occupied by a gang bank robbers, led by two brothers, who had just committed a robbery. As the deputies approached the car the occupants exited and opened fire with rifles.

The gang was led by the Kimes brothers who were convicted of manslaughter in connection with Deputy Chuculate's murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. One of the brothers, Matthew Kimes, escaped from prison and continued his crime spree.

During the following year the escaped brother continued robbing banks with the Cotton Top Walker Gang, which was responsible for the murders of Borger, Texas, Police Patrolman Coke Buchanan, on March 19, 1927; Hutchinson County, Texas, Sheriff's Deputies D. P. Kenyon and Almer Terry, on April 1, 1927; and Beggs, Oklahoma, Police Chief W. J. McAnnally, on May 18, 1927.

Matthew Kimes was finally arrested in Flagstaff, Arizona, on June 23, 1927. [ [http://odmp.org/officer/16096-deputy-sheriff-perry-chuculate The Officer Down Memorial Page] ]

ee also

* List of law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma
* Sequoyah County, Oklahoma

References

External links

* [http://www.sequoyahcountysheriff.org/ Sequoyah County Sheriff's webpage]