"My grandmother used to live here a long time ago. She found some land in the Brushy area and my dad bought it for me," Lightfoot said. "We bought the land without looking at it first."
Lightfoot said he did come out for spring break before he graduated to see what it was like. "I loved it," he said.
"I graduated from Cass High School in Cartersville, Ga. Our graduating class had 898 students in it," Lightfoot said.
After graduation he moved to Sallisaw. "It was a spur of the moment decision, and I was ready for a change of pace.
"My first thought of Sallisaw was it was small. I came in on a Sunday and it seemed like a ghost town because nobody was around," Lightfoot said. "It took me awhile to get used to a small town because I grew up around Atlanta, Ga.
"I think Sallisaw is the perfect town, like the song, 'If Heaven,' by Andy Griggs."
Lightfoot said his mom and dad also moved and live next door to him.
Lightfoot is a jailer at the Sequoyah County Jail in Sallisaw. He is also a part-time police officer in Vian and is attending CLEET training. He is also a volunteer firefighter at Brushy Volunteer Fire Department.
"Ever since I was little I wanted to be a cop. My grandfather was a police officer in Texas," Lightfoot said. "Everyone on my mom's side of the family is either a police officer or a firefighter. I like helping people."
Lightfoot said he also likes to fish and hunt.
"My dad and I would go fishing every weekend since I was five years old," Lightfoot said.
"The first fish I ever caught was a sunfish, and the largest was a 46-pound red snapper," Lightfoot said.
"My dad took me deep sea fishing in Panama City, Fla. It was great," Lightfoot said.
"We went during hurricane season and a hurricane was on its way in. So the waves were real big and I got seasick. I felt like a little kid. I was the youngest one there. I was 15," Lightfoot said. "I was with my dad and his friends from work. I was trying to be all macho and I lost it."
Lightfoot said that every fishing trip with his dad is special. He said he remembers falling into the lake many times out of the boat. "We used to sleep on the boat at night."
"It was a regular bass boat and we would fish all night and fall asleep in the chairs. I would wake up and step off the boat not knowing where I was," Lightfoot said. "The first time I fell in I was about 6 or 7 but I knew how to swim.
"My dad taught me to swim by throwing me off the boat. He would say 'If you want back in you have to come here.' He had a rope tied to me just in case," Lightfoot said with a smile. "I knew he would never let anything happen to me.
"I take my mom to Brushy Lake, which is the best lake to fish. She loves to fish. She's not very good at it, but she loves to do it," Lightfoot said. "She has a lot of fun and I enjoy taking her.
"I will fish with anything that's got line on it. I could fish with a piece of string and hook, that is how much I like to fish," Lightfoot said.
"My goal is to fish in a bass master tournament and maybe become a champion," Lightfoot said.
"I have a lot of wonderful memories with my dad. He is my best friend in the whole world," Lightfoot said.
