A token of gratitude for nearly a decade of service

Bakersfield School Resource Officer Wayne Romans, left, and high school ag teacher and FFA sponsor Jordan Grigg, right, recently presented Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed with a metal plaque in honor of his many years of service to Ozark County. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Bakersfield School and the Bakersfield FFA for presenting this for my retirement,” Reed said in a post with this photo. Reed began his law enforcement career in 1984 with the Howell County Sheriff’s Department. He continued working in law enforcement in Howell County until he came to Ozark County in 2011. He was elected sheriff in 2012 and ran unopposed in 2016 for his second term as sheriff. His November 2019 announcement that he was going to retire at the end of the term, which ends Dec. 31, was met with hundreds of comments on Facebook from local residents who shared notes of appreciation and admiration for his service to the county. Incoming sheriff Cass Martin, a Dora resident, takes office Jan. 1, 2021.