Family of fallen sheriff's deputy gifted a Bahamas trip
A new nonprofit has selected the family of fallen Washington County Sheriff Deputy Kyle Davis as the first recipients of a week-long Bahamas vacation, with the goal to provide respite and healing.
In a Friday press conference at the Bartlesville Public Safety Complex, retired Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Dwight Durant announced Kristin Davis — Kyle Davis’ widow — and her two children were selected for the first trip organized by Ten Seven Retreat.
Durant said he and wife Shelley Durant spoke with Kristin Davis on the phone when considering the family. After the call, they high-fived, knowing they had the right person, he said.
“We chose you because we saw what character you (have) and we saw the support your community has for you. We thought ‘these people must be such wonderful people to have this much support,” Dwight Durant said.
In the all-expenses paid trip, the family will be flown to the Bahamas, where Dwight and Shelley Durant will sail them around the islands for five days. The group will snorkel, fish, hike, swim with turtles and participate in other activities.
Kyle Davis died on March 25, 2021, from injuries caused by a detainee who started a fight while being booked into the Washington County Detention Center. Davis, a 13-year WCSO veteran, was a daytime supervisor at the jail, and he previously worked as a dispatcher, field deputy and transport deputy.
Dwight Durant said he and Shelley Durant got the idea for Ten Seven Retreats after their own trip to the Bahamas.
“We fell in love with it down there and tried to think of a way we could share the serenity of the islands off the coast with other people,” Dwight Durant said.
During his career with OHP, Dwight Durant gained experience assisting the families of fallen law enforcement, according to the nonprofit’s website. The organization is named for the common law enforcement code for being off-duty at the end of a shift.
The nonprofit, and the Davis family trip, is funded through donations.
“Shelley and I are not funding this, we are the vessel that put together this retreat … Citizens across the state of Oklahoma have funded this. They have come out unbelievably in support of what we’re doing and they want us to know they love you,” Dwight Durant said.
“Their love for you has not stopped, they want to … see this happen. We wish we could wrap our arms around every family, but we can only do one at a time.”
In November, Athine Henderson was charged with first-degree manslaughter in Kyle Davis’ death, according to court records.
In March 2021, Henderson was one of 13 people arrested in connection with a suspected methamphetamine trafficking operation in Bartlesville. He was charged with a count of intention to distribute a controlled dangerous substance and a count of unlawful use of a communication facility.
As he was being processed for the March 2021 arrest, Henderson was allowed a phone call and refused to return to his cell. This caused an altercation with Kyle Davis, exacerbating a medical condition in the deputy.
Kyle Davis died shortly after.
Henderson will return to court on July 8 for a jury sounding docket — a hearing to determine whether the manslaughter case is ready to move to trial.