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It was strange, actually, I didn’t really start out wanting to be in law enforcement, but honestly I got out of the military and I had a wife and kids. A friend of mine said I could get paid to go to school and I didn’t believe him. But I had just got out of the Navy and went to Hocking College and they said “yeah, that’s right, we’ll pay you to go to school.”

I went in and said I’d like to know what the cops are doing, so get me into police science. I walked in and we did fingerprinting and photographs and other things and I was just hooked from there.

What is your favorite part of law enforcement?

People. It’s kind of strange, I deal with all walks of life and you find out that there are people that are not so good but there are also excellent people. There are a lot of people who give me information that are the ones I met 15 years ago. There’s a level of trust there that they know I won’t break.

What different careers have you held?

I was a laborer mostly, I worked in the oil fields. I have worked since I was 13 and in school … but then I did my first tour in the Navy, then I did 18 years with the Army side.

What challenges have you had as a law enforcement officer?

As a law enforcement officer, totality in changes in the law and the rules and regulations. Some aided law enforcement, others did nothing but put up a wall.

What moments stick out to you from your time in law enforcement?

I’ve got several: the homicides we worked when the sheriff first took office, the bank robberies we solved. Then there was the elderly lady (Ota Vincent) in Coolville, when I finally found those men. The only thing the lady could tell me was that she saw a bright light and some wind, but I went through different counties, I dug and I dug and I dug and finally I got a piece of information, and that brought me to all the evidence and those four men are now in prison.

What do you do when you’re not on the job?

I spend it with family, I go out to dinner with them, we go to Blennerhasset Island, it’s a variety of things. Your standard statement is usually “I fish, I golf,” I don’t do those things, I just spend time with my family.

Do you think you’ll leave law enforcement any time soon?

I’ll have 25 years in three years, and I’ll possibly look at retiring. When I get ready to retire, I told the guys to make sure they have a lot of overtime because there are going to be a lot of parties and they’re not going to be for my benefit.