Sheriff McGuire pays a visit to Rotary Club

Palo Pinto County Sheriff Brett McGuire laid down the law at Rotary Club of Mineral Wells on Wednesday.

Not really. But the sheriff marking his first five months in office did speak to Rotarians about his term as sheriff so far, some of the changes he has made and other operational tidbits of information.

When he first took office, McGuire – who had been the City of Lake Worth's city manager and police chief and had served as a Palo Pinto County Sheriff's Office reserve – needed a chief deputy. But he held off on that initially, preferring to be hands on, early on, to learn the office, personnel and operations pertaining to patrol and managing the county's 142-bed jail.

He said when he first became sheriff he asked how many people the jail was housing on average and said he was told around 75. Instead, McGuire said the jail has been averaging 122 inmates, segregated by gender and classification. He said at one time he had to briefly close it to City of Mineral Wells misdemeanor offenders because he was basically at capacity.

To maximize patrol resources, McGuire divided the county into four quadrants and assigned a shift deputy to each quadrant. He did that to help shorten response times in the large, sprawling county. Deputies can then adjust and move around within their quadrants based on the activity taking place in another sector to be able to provide assistance or answer other calls.

When it came time to name a chief deputy, McGuire selected Tommie Hathorn, a 37-year law enforcement veteran whose career includes 36 years with the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office working in patrol, fugitive apprehension, narcotics interdiction, major crimes investigation, county jail operations and as a SWAT team member, marksman, trainer and commander. He is a colon cancer survivor and a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing, waiting near the finish line for his wife to finish her run when the two explosions went off.

McGuire said he has excellent working relationships with Mineral Chief of Police Dean Sullivan as well as County Attorney Jim Ashby and District Attorney Kriste Burnett.

As sheriff McGuire also oversees the City County Narcotics Task Force unit, comprised of a lieutenant supervisor and two officers each from the sheriff's office and Mineral Wells Police Department. He said the department intentionally stays low key but is constantly working investigations into illicit drug activities. He noted more than 20 defendants in a recent organized criminal activity operation and bust are continuing to have their days in court, with some receiving lengthy prison terms, such as those handed brothers Ken and James Blackmer.

The sheriff told Rotarians he enjoys working in a county that is overall supportive and appreciative of law enforcement – save for some of those who end up on the wrong side of the law and earn a stay in McGuire's Crossbars Hotel.

McGuire is pictured with program chair Stacy Choate, left, and club president Jimmy Walker.

Rotary Club of Mineral Wells meets every Wednesday at noon at Holiday Hills Country Club for lunch, networking, updates on club projects and a program of interest. Please join us.