Chris Sheridan
Chris Sheridan of the Brushy community says the best thing about living in Sequoyah County are the people, even those he supervises daily as the Sequoyah County Inmate Work Crew supervisor.
Just Folks
Chris Sheridan of the Brushy community says the best thing about living in Sequoyah County are the people, even those he supervises daily as the Sequoyah County Inmate Work Crew supervisor.
Sheridan said he worked for the Department of Corrections in Arizona for 20 years before retiring and making a move to Oklahoma.
Sheridan works for the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office. He began working as a jailer, then in December, he began his duties of overseeing the inmate work crew, he said.
“I love this job, and I love this location. It’s so much nicer than Arizona,” Sheridan said. “Arizona is beautiful, but people make it dirty. They don’t really care to take care of it. The people can also be rude in Arizona. But here, the people are much nicer.”
Sheridan said he drives and watches the inmates pick up trash along the roads throughout the county. The crew has returned with trailer loads of trash, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“We’ve found a lot of interesting things lately,” Sheridan said.
Some of the interesting things include drugs, including heroine, marijuana and syringes, and other drug paraphernalia. Sheridan said the drugs and paraphernalia are taken to the Sheriff’s Office where they are disposed of properly.
“The guys I supervise are pretty good, and they’ll let me know if they find something they need to report to me. The inmates who volunteer to do the work seem to have a good attitude about it, and they seem like a group of good guys,” he said.
Sheridan said he met Sequoyah County Sheriff Larry Lane a few years ago while visiting the lake area.
“We had a sit-down table talk, and he told me if I was ever interested in working for the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Department to look him up. After some encouragement from my wife and kids, I retired from the DOC five years ago, made a move here and began working as a deputy,” he said.
“I enjoy working for Larry. He’s a great guy, and I enjoy the people I work with here. It’s been such a big change from Arizona,” he said.
Sheridan said Jodi, his wife of 10 years, is a native of Sequoyah County, and has family living in the area. The couple has two grown children and two grandchildren.
“I think moving here was the best thing I’ve ever done,” Sheridan said. “My favorite things to do when I’m not at work is hunting and fishing. In Arizona, your name has to be drawn after paying $130 to get your name drawn. Then you have to pay an additional $130 if your name gets drawn. It’s not like that here. You just get your license and go hunting or fishing. It’s as different as day and night.”
Just Folks. Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public’s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie or Lynn at 918-775-4433.
