New Kent Sheriff Howard honored during retirement ceremony

New Kent Sheriff F.W. "Wakie" Howard Jr. gives two thumbs up for his retirement celebration (and the presence on stage of WTVR Channel 6 meteorologist Nikki-Dee Ray at right) during Sunday's event at New Kent High School. For more photos, scroll down the page and click on Photo Gallery.

Alan Chamberlain photo

As accolades poured in, New Kent Sheriff F.W. “Wakie” Howard Jr. sat quietly on stage inside New Kent High School’s auditorium, at times appearing humbled by the mountains of praise while often breaking into laughter over amusing anecdotes delivered by a multitude of speakers.

On the occasion of his retirement, a crowd of close to 300 — family members, sheriff’s office staff, fellow law enforcement officers, county officials, friends, and county residents — gathered Sunday afternoon to honor Howard, who has served nine terms (36 years) as New Kent’s sheriff. He chose not to run for a 10th term and is stepping down at the end of next month.

New Kent’s Board of Supervisors, Del. Chris Peace, representatives of several state law enforcement agencies, the New Kent Clergy Association, New Kent Fire and Rescue, and members of his own department presented Howard with an assortment of awards, resolutions, and gifts during the two-hour-long ceremony.

“I am so overwhelmed,” Howard told those in attendance at the event’s conclusion. “This is absolutely more than I deserve.”

Howard took over the reins of sheriff in 1980 after serving the previous three years as a deputy. The department in those days was made up of three deputies, noted retired circuit court judge Thomas B. Hoover, who shared master of ceremonies duties with deputy sheriff Mark Domnick. Today, there are 39 deputies/officers under Howard’s command. Counting administrative staff, dispatchers, and auxiliary deputies, personnel in the sheriff’s office number 70.

“Wakie has developed a first class sheriff’s office,” Hoover told the crowd. “And you cannot do that without starting at the top with first class.”

In capping off a story about Howard using discretion when placing charges against an individual, Hoover said, “He has always showed everyone he has come in contact with respect.”

Other speakers followed, echoing the judge’s comments.

“Sheriff Howard has made my job a lot easier,” said county commonwealth’s attorney Linwood Gregory, noting that he had often heard “horror stories” from other jurisdictions regarding relationships between law enforcement personnel and the prosecutor’s office.

“His office provides information, provides reports, and covers the courts,” Gregory said. “Sheriff Howard makes sure deputies do their jobs.”

Longtime sheriff’s office dispatcher Jerry Sprouse thanked Howard for providing an opportunity for him to tackle the job starting in 1981. Sprouse is blind.

Back then, a regular dispatcher recommended to Howard that Sprouse be allowed to fill in during the dispatcher’s absence. Sprouse recalled Howard being “horrified” at the prospect.

“While [Howard] went and slept, a blind guy was in charge of the county,” Sprouse quipped, drawing roars of laughter.

All worked out, however, with Sprouse later becoming chief communications officer.

“Wakie has been a terrific sheriff and will always be a terrific person,” Sprouse told those gathered.

Peace told the audience Howard’s record and reputation place the sheriff among the best, if not the best, in Virginia. John Jones, executive director for the Virginia Sheriff’s Association, noted that Howard has attained “senior sheriff” designation and currently is the longest serving sheriff in the state.

County administrator Rodney Hathaway and all five members of the county’s Board of Supervisors presented Howard with a leather motorcycle jacket.

“I’ve learned so much about leadership just by watching you,” Hathaway told Howard during the gift presentation, adding that when he attends conferences throughout the state, “The first question I get is ‘Do you know Sheriff Howard?’”

County resident Barbara Allen took the stage to praise Howard’s actions in seeing to her family’s welfare when her daughter was murdered in 2000.

“You are the most honorable man I have ever meet,” she told Howard, just before the pair exchanged salutes.

Chief deputy and now sheriff-elect Joe McLaughlin, accompanied on stage by the entire sheriff’s office staff, presented Howard with a shadow box containing New Kent badges and patches along with a state vehicle license plate bearing the number “1.”

McLaughlin, who rose through the ranks to chief deputy, told the crowd, “To me and all of you, he IS the sheriff and will continue to be the sheriff of New Kent County until we all pass away.

“He has always run the New Kent Sheriff’s Office as a family, and we’ve always hung together because of his leadership. I have to call him my brother, and in the New Kent Sheriff’s Office, we are brothers and sisters.”

Taking the microphone, Howard expounded on McLaughlin’s family concept, saying, “I could not have asked for a better group of people to support me and make me look good.

“Joe has been with me since 1981 and has always been my sounding board,” Howard said, adding the pair has had their differences concerning some decisions made over the years.

“But he has always been there to support me, no matter what,” said the sheriff emphatically.

Howard heaped praise on his family and God, thanking both for their roles in contributing to his accomplishments during his career. Rose, his wife of 43 years, accepted a bouquet of flowers, while his son, Farrar, and daughter, Mary, and their families stood to applause.

Turning attention to Sunday’s event and the audience, the retiring sheriff said, “This is probably the most overwhelming thing I’ve ever had in my life. I really appreciate the opportunity to serve the citizens of New Kent. Thank you all for coming. I love you all.”

Eliciting a standing ovation, Hoover told Howard, “The number 1 on your license plate means you’re number one in New Kent. Thank you for making New Kent a safe place for all of us.”