Lt. Charles Wimberly has received the 2024 Patriotic Award as Webster Parish Sheriff Office Deputy of the Year, a prestigious award presented during special ceremonies Monday by the Knights of Columbus.
Sheriff Jason Parker called Wimberly “…a special public servant who is always willing to go the extra mile to do his duty for the people of our parish.”
Wimberly began his career as a patrol deputy in 2016. He was promoted to Sergeant and transferred into the department’s narcotics division. After his promotion to Lieutenant, he returned to the patrol division.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Lt. Wimberly,” Parker said. “He brings a dedication to service to the job each day.”
Parker also announced winners of Deputy of the Year in other divisions of his department. Those are:
• Freda Joseph: Deputy of the Year in the Civil Division. Joseph has been with the Sheriff’s Office for 18 years and is a valuable member of the civil division team.
“There’s never a time when she’s too busy to help others, and never a task she’s not willing to handle,” said Chief Deputy Tax Collector Kevin McLain. “She is a very special public servant.”
• Kristin Hutchinson: Deputy of the Year, School Resource Officer. Hutchinson has 21 total years in law enforcement, the past three and one-half as a resource officer in Cotton Valley. She has also been D.A.R.E. instructor for the Sheriff’s office.
“She will be leaving us to move to Jackson Parish where she will become a member of their department. Our loss is their gain. We will miss her and the parents and children of her school will miss her. She is special,” Parker said.
• Michael Chairmont: Deputy of the Year, Corrections. Chairmont has only been with the Sheriff’s Office a year and a half, but his impact has been immediate.
“He is one of the hardest working people you will ever meet,” Parker said. “His supervisors and co-workers say there’s no job he is not ready and willing to take on. He has proven to be a capable member of our corrections team.”
• Karri Vaughan: Deputy of the Year, Communications. Vaughan has served the people of Webster Parish for five and a half years and has is a vital part of the Sheriff’s team.
“When someone calls our department needing help, Karri’s voice is one of the the first they will hear. Her calm demeanor and professionalism often makes a difficult situation a little more bearable,” Parker said. “Our deputies know they can depend on her to give them immediate, accurate information when time is critical.”
Parker said honoring deputies from each division is a way to show the importance of each unit to the department as a whole.
“Each of these deputies truly epitomizes what it means to be part of a team and to be a servant to the people of our parish,” he said. “The strength of a department is its people, and our deputies are some of the best. Our citizens should be proud to know they are being served by these men and women.”