Sgt. Mike Darby was named the Freestone County Sheriff Office Deputy of the Year and Officer Billy Shelton was named Freestone County Sheriff Office Employee of the Year recently at the FCSO end-of-the --year meeting for 2024.
“It was one of the best years yet as far as lowering crime and criminal activity since I’ve been Sheriff and our employees deserve all the credit for their hard work and dedication to our office and our county citizens,” Freestone County Sheriff Jeremy Shipley said. “I’m very grateful for each and every employee of the FCSO and I’m blessed to be able to work with them for the benefit of our county.”
Darby is a very experienced and tenured deputy with the FCSO who is counted on for knowledge and leadership. Known as one of the “nicest” and most “polite” deputies, the department continually gets positive feedback from individuals who have interacted with Darby, whether he was helping them with an issue or met him during a traffic stop.
“There’s been over a handful of individuals that even made sure we knew Darby was a good deputy even after their arrest,” Shipley said. “Sgt. Darby believes in doing things the right way, through the letter of the law, and truly cares about helping and protecting the citizens of Freestone County. Our office and our county citizens are blessed to have someone of Sgt. Darby’s caliber as part of our team.”
Shelton is an outstanding employee who is assigned to the jail facility. Shelton’s duties encompass inmate safety and security and well-being, facility security, and transport.
“He’s always willing to assist in any way, willingly comes in on days off if our jail is short-handed, and is truly committed to carrying out his duties and handling things the right way,” Shipley said. “Our county is lucky to employ such an outstanding worker that can be counted on day in and day out.”
Shipley noted the county has a great group of people who work at the FCSO and reside in the communities.
“Whether they are dispatchers, administrators, jailers, courthouse security, criminal investigators, or deputies, they serve you with their heart and soul,” Shipley said. “If you know them, take time to show them some love and appreciation.”
