Dwight Calvin Woodrell, Jr.

Pawnee County Sheriff Dwight Calvin Woodrell, Jr. was tragically killed in the line of duty, one mile west of Cleveland on Saturday, October 13, 2001 at the age of thirty-six years, seven months and sixteen days.

Dwight was born on February 27, 1965 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was the son of Dwight Calvin Woodrell, Sr. and Mary Catherine Lawrence. Dwight was raised in the Cleveland area, attending school in Cleveland and Prue, graduating from Prue High School in 1983.

Upon completion of high school, Dwight attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami for two years, earning an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. He then accepted employment with Southwest Tool and began his career in law enforcement as a reserve officer for the Cleveland Police Department. After a couple of years as a reserve officer, Dwight accepted employment as a Deputy Sheriff with Pawnee County in 1987. Seven months later he attended the police academy and since that time Sheriff Woodrell spent one years as a patrolman for the City of Cleveland, Police Department before returning to the Pawnee Countyís Sheriffís Office.

Dwight was married to Karen Louise Bell at the Western Heights Baptist Church in Cleveland, Oklahoma on September 30, 1989. The couple has four children, Dwight Calvin III,, Jessica Lynn, Wyatt Austin and Jasper Wade. The family resides South of Cleveland on their 80 acre farm where they graze cows and calves. His love for ranching was established at an early age and was evident in his participation in livestock shows as a youth.

Upon returning to the Pawnee County Sheriffís Office, Sheriff Woodrell advanced through the ranks as a Lieutenant before being promoted to Undersheriff. He received his certificate as a CLEET certified police instructor in 1997 and was a breathalyzer supervisor/operator. After graduating from the academy in 1998, Sheriff Woodrell continued his training in law enforcement accumulating over 900 CLEET hours.

Since serving as Sheriff of Pawnee County the past four years, he has worked to raise the number of deputies in the field patrolling and answering calls. This was responsible for relieving the overall caseload for the deputies and allowed more time for investigations. These investigations have led to the execution of over fifty drug labs and several more being seized. .

Sheriff Woodrell also worked to upgrade the equipment of the sheriffís office. Probably the single most significant addition was the OLETS System (teletype). The office is now able to do complete criminal background checks on any number of suspects and arrestees and have the information for the deputies in a matter of seconds. Additionally, through Sheriff Woodrellís efforts Pawnee County has entered an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to implement the Amber Plan if a child is abducted by a stranger. He has continually worked closely with the communities within Pawnee County to address any law enforcement problem in the area.

Sheriff Woodrell was a member of the Western Heights Baptist Church in Cleveland. He was also a member of the Cleveland Rotary Club, Hebron Masonic Lodge of Cleveland and on the Board of Directors of the Cleveland Opportunity Center. In addition to being a Certified CLEET School Instructor, he was a Certified Airborne Assault Officer, member of both the Oklahoma and National Sheriff's Association. Additionally, he was an avid supporter of the Pawnee County Junior Livestock Show. Dwight's hobbies included hunting and fishing, but he was especially fond of fishing with his children.

He is survived his wife, Karen Woodrell, of the home; four children, Dwight Calvin Woodrell, III, of the home; Jessica Lynn Woodrell, of the home; Wyatt Austin Woodrell, of the home; Jasper Wade Woodrell, of the home; Parents, Dwight and Wanda Woodrell, Cleveland, Oklahoma; Parents, Cathy and Larry Lawrence, Bristow, Oklahoma; Maternal Grandmother, Carolea Goswick, Osage, Oklahoma; sister, Kim Donnelly, Pawnee, Oklahoma; Step-sisters, Nikki Giles, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Andrea Thompson, Overland Park, Kansas; several nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

In lieu of flowers, a trust fund in memory of Sheriff Dwight Woodrell has been established at both the First National Bank of Pawnee, 601 Harrison, Pawnee, Oklahoma 74058 and the First Bank of Cleveland, 105 West Caddo, Cleveland, Oklahoma 74020.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm, Wednesday, October 17, 2001 at the Cleveland High School Gymnasium with Rev. David Head officiating, Burial will be at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Mannford under the direction of the Chapman-Black Funeral Home.