By Donna Hales
Phoenix Staff Writer
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Two promotions at the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office resulted in a new undersheriff, Terry Freeman, and a new chief deputy, Joe Hughart.
Freeman, 54, spent 26 years as an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper, attended Northeastern State University and majored in criminal justice. He replaces Randy Perryman, who recently retired.
Freeman had been the chief deputy since February 2007.
Muskogee County Sheriff Charles Pearson lauded Freeman as being top of the line in administrative procedures. He credits Freeman with streamlining the office while chief deputy.
Freeman knows law enforcement in the county, where he’s been since 1978. His wife, Karen, has been a teacher in Muskogee for 33 years and is teaching at Creek Elementary. His daughter, Heather, is a nursing student at Bacone College.
“I’m looking forward to the new 911 system and software,” Freeman said. “The powers that be say it will be online by next March.”
Hughart, too, is excited about being the new chief deputy.
“I feel honored,” he said. “There’s quite a bit of work to do in that job, and it will mean more time in the office.”
He said it will be harder to get out of the office, and he likes to get out occasionally.
“I found that out almost as soon as I went to work here in February,” he said.
Hughart, who turned 40 Sunday, is a former police chief at Fort Gibson and started his law enforcement career in 1993 as a reserve in the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Department.
He worked as a police officer in Porum and then Gore before going to Fort Gibson in 1997. He had been police chief there for three years when he resigned earlier this year.
Like Freeman, he’s very well acquainted with Muskogee County. He graduated from Braggs High School. He has an associate’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Phoenix. He has completed advanced training through CLEET (Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training).
As far as his promotion, he said he just started, “but it’s going real good.”
He said he knew the deputies and they’re accepting his new assignment as their day-to-day supervisor.
Hughart’s wife, Sheila, is an administrative assistant in maintenance at Sequoyah High School in Tahlequah. The couple has two sons and two daughters.
Hughart also is in the running for two prestigious awards for heroism while on duty — one a high state award, the other a national award.
Reach Donna Hales at 684-2923 or dhales@muskogeephoenix.com.
