WICHITA FALLS ( KFDX/KJTL ) — The Wichita County Sheriff’s Office held its quarterly award ceremony on Thursday, April 25, 2024, to recognize two retiring deputies.

They also awarded the Tessa Price Award to Patrol Deputy Johnny Routon.

Tessa Price was killed in 2011. She was sixteen when she lost her life to a drunk driver. Deputy Routon said getting intoxicated drivers off the road is more than a job; it is a passion to keep motorists safe.

“Something clicked with me when I first got on the patrol. I was at a very bad wreck where a gentleman was killed on the highway, and he reeked of alcohol, and that’s always stuck with me,” Routon said. “And ever since then, I’ve been pretty passionate about DWI enforcement, about getting folks home safe.”

In 2023, the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division made 258 DWI arrests, of which Deputy Routon made 108.

This is the third time Routon has won the Price Award. Sheriff David Duke said Tessa is remembered by each DWI arrest.

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