“I’d always wanted to be the sheriff of Callahan County.”
Terry Joy is the twenty-third sheriff and has been serving two terms for five years.
“Something about Callahan County just pulls on you,” Sheriff Joy said.
He said it’s a busy job, but he’s willing to show me how it’s done.
“You can’t predict what’s going to happen. But we do have a lot of crime for a county like Callahan County. We try to do the job with what we have,” Sheriff Joy said.
Part of Sheriff Joy’s job is to take care of the inmates in the Callahan County Jail – the second oldest jail in the state of Texas.
“You have to be sure everyone’s okay,” Sheriff Joy said.
Especially if an intake is suicidal. Sheriff Joy checks that inmate every hour.
“We haven’t had anybody to die or hang themselves in this jail. And thank the Lord that that hasn’t happened to me. But it would break my heart, and it would be a heavy load for a long time,” Sheriff Joy said.
“He cares about all of us,” one Callahan County inmate said.
I had the chance to sit down with current inmates. Sheriff Joy says he has inmates request to live in the Callahan County Jail.
“They say they believe in you, but they don’t. They always have that little bit of doubt that you can feel. You don’t feel no doubt with him.”
And while the day started off slow, suddenly a call came in from a woman who had a saw stolen off her property.
Sheriff Joy said he always checks up on his calls – no matter what the situation is.
And while on the road, we got another call. Sheriff Joy called it a “welfare check-up.” We hurried to the house.
His chief deputy was already there, knocking on the door to no answer.
A woman was found deceased inside the home.
Sheriff Joy explained the proper protocol. They have to properly identify the victim by digging through their house to find some kind of personal belonging. They call the justice of the peace and Abilene Professional Services. They check the mailbox and call the mail service – anything to contact the next-of-kin.
But Sheriff Joy said this happens far too often in Callahan County.
His job is a 24-hour job.
“Probably one of the cases I’ll always remember here, and it kind-of haunts me, is one morning, my dispatcher says, ‘Oh, Sheriff, I’m glad you got here because I have a lady on the line who’s over at her nephew’s house and she just had her home invaded by two people,’” Sheriff Joy said. “For some reason, I couldn’t sleep that night, and I don’t know whether [it was] mental telepathy or what, but I got to the jail and this person needed me and I was so thankful that I was there to help.”
And Sheriff Joy is on the move to help his people.
“I think that I’m doing a good job. And I get a lot of support. And I couldn’t do it without the support of the people of Callahan County.”