Sheriff Mike Neal, Chief Deputy John Argo, and the entire Rhea County Sheriff’s Department would like to congratulate Sergeant Wayne Cox on his retirement from the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department. Sgt. Cox has held many different roles in the Sheriff’s Department throughout his career including, but not limited to Court Security Supervisor, K-9 handler, a member of the Marine Division, a member of SWAT, and of the Patrol Division. He climbed the ranks from Deputy to Corporal and retired with the rank of Sergeant.
His years of service are as follows:
– 1997-1999 Graysville Police Department
– 2000-2002 Rhea County Sheriff’s Department
– 2002-2004 Spring City Police Department
– 2016-2017 Part-Time TWRA Boating Safety Officer
– 2004-2024 Rhea County Sheriff’s Department
Sgt. Cox and his K-9 partners, K-9 Jesse and K-9 Lycan, were credited with numerous tracking finds in Rhea and surrounding counties throughout their careers. One of their most notable finds was in 2017 when Sgt. Cox and K-9 Jesse located a missing 78 year old dementia patient. The individual had been missing for multiple days and several agencies spent many hours searching. Sgt. Cox and K-9 Jesse located the individual in less than 30 minutes within arriving on scene.
Sgt. Cox mentored many of Rhea County’s youth through his involvement in sports and within his career. He even shared his passion for law enforcement with his son, Deputy Dakota Cox.
Sgt. Cox was an asset to this department in many ways, and we wish him the best in his retirement. Thank you for your service Sgt. Cox and enjoy retirement!
