County Sheriff
Carl D. Watson
The county sheriff is a county-wide elected office serving a four year term.
The Sheriff, by statute, is the chief law enforcement officer in the county. The
position is filled by county-wide election every four years.
The Texas County Sheriff’s
Office is entrusted with enforcing the law and preserving the peace in the largest
county in the state of Missouri. Texas County is comprised of over 1000 miles of
county maintained gravel roads, numerous forestry roads as well as paved roads. The
vast expanse of the county itself is a great challenge for patrolling. With this
in mind the Sheriff has been instrumental in initiating neighborhood watch programs
throughout the county.
The department is staffed by trained and dedicated individuals.
The Sheriff’s staff consists of:
Administrative Supervisor; LT Melissa Dunn
Road Sergeant; Travis Davis
Administrative Assistant; Norma Burch
Dispatch Supervisor; Susan Bunch
Jail Administrator; Pam Tripp
Further staff includes 5 full time deputies, 1 part time deputy, 4 full time dispatchers,
1 part time dispatcher, and a neighborhood watch coordinator.
The new Justice Center
houses a new 72-bed jail and employs 18 full time jailers, 3 part time jailers, 4
bailiffs, 2 full time cooks and 1 part time cook.
The Sheriff’s office also maintains 24 hour dispatch for officers in the county.
The
Sheriff’s office has many duties to perform. The Sheriff and his deputies investigate
all reported crimes committed within the county including homicides, assaults, burglaries,
arson, domestic violence, child abuse, illegal drugs and trespass complaints.
Serving
civil processes such as garnishments and executions, notice of civil proceedings,
land sales, ex-parte orders and criminal processes such as warrants and subpoenas
are also part of the sheriff’s responsibilities. The Sheriff is also responsible
for transporting prisoners to state correctional facilities, federal prisons and
other holding facilities as well as extraditing fugitives apprehended in other states
back to Texas County for prosecution.
The Texas County Sheriff’s office works closely
with other law enforcement agencies including the Missouri State Highway Patrol,
city police departments, drug task force, conservation officers, state child abuse
investigators, fire marshals, probations and parole officers, juvenile officers and
federal agencies in order to better meet the needs of the citizens living in Texas
County.
519 N Grand Ave.
Houston, MO 65483
Phone: 417-967-4165