The Sequoyah County Sheriff ’s Office held its annual Christmas dinner and awards banquet on Dec. 22, bringing together nearly 200 deputies, staff and guests to reflect on the past year and recognize outstanding service within the agency.
The evening served as a year-in-review for the Sheriff ’s Office, highlighting the dedication, professionalism and commitment demonstrated by deputies and employees throughout the year. Sheriff Larry Lane expressed appreciation for the hard work and sacrifices made daily to protect and serve the citizens of Sequoyah County.
Deputy Daniel Whitus was named Deputy of the Year, an honor awarded to a deputy who consistently demonstrates exceptional performance, integrity, leadership and service to the community. Deputy Whitus was recognized for his dedication to duty, strong work ethic and positive impact within the Sheriff’s Office.
Additional awards were presented during the banquet to recognize exemplary service and achievement by other members of the agency. Those award recipients included:
• Investigator of the Year: Dwayne Frizzell
• Reserve Deputy of the Year: Randall Hicks
• School Resource Officer of the Year: Jeremy Walters
• Employee of the Year: Lavonn Stites
• Detention Officer of the Year: Cody Smithson
• Sheriff’s Star Award: BR Rutherford Sheriff Lane thanked all personnel for their continued commitment to public safety and praised the teamwork that defines the Sheriff’s Office.
“This banquet is an opportunity to recognize the men and women who go above and beyond in serving our community,” Lane said. “This sheriff’s office has tripled in size over the past eight years and I am continually proud of the hard work, dedication and professionalism shown by our deputies and staff throughout the year. This is a very hard, demanding and stressful job, these men and women go above and beyond to serve every day.”
According to Lane, other than the Sheriff’s Star Award, all of the awards are voted on by the employees. It means a little more to the award winners, to know that they were voted on by their peers.
The Sheriff’s Star Award is chosen by Sheriff Lane, and given to the employee who best represents the values and mission of the Sheriff’s Office and serves as an example of professionalism, integrity and service both within the department and in the community. This Years Sheriff’s Star Award recipient was Investigator BR Rutherford.
The Sheriff’s Office also honored Reserve Deputy Steve Grizzle, who is finally retiring after 31 years of service.
Lane also noted that during 2025, the sheriff’s office fielded a whopping 45,637 calls for service, took 1,468 incident reports, served 1,114 civil papers, and booked 1,757 people into jail.
“The general public has no idea how busy our deputies are on a daily basis. It’s easy for some to focus on what they think we’re doing wrong, but they don’t always see the countless calls handled, long hours worked and difficult situations our deputies face every day while serving this community,” Lane continued.
The Sheriff’s Office extends its gratitude to all employees and their families for their continued support and looks forward to serving the community in the year ahead.
Sheriff Lane would also like to thank the following sponsors who made this year’s banquet possible: Armory Outfitters, Rick’s Tires-Muldrow, Cato Creek Cattle Company, Bud Smithson, Phillip Green Company, O’Neal Real Estate, Firstar Bank, Dr. Bill Anderson and Chris Crumpler, Zoom Bail Bonds, Dr. Sinclair Armstrong, Akins Grocery & BBQ, Armory Outfitters, Merrill Bonding, Manning Pest Control, Scoufous Law Offices, 1019 Logistics, Sullivan Law Offices, Sloan Farms, Rocky’s Corner Pawn, Victory Pawn & Gun, Bobby Long and Rosa Scott, Northeastern Health Systems, Turn Key Health, DIGI Systems, City Tele Coin, Wildhorse Mountain Hat Co., Hog Creek Towing, Mrs. Denise Fairchild, SCA Title & Abstract, Mc-Clintock’s Steak House and Midland Motors.
