CLARKSVILLE, TN – Six members of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office were recently congratulated by Sheriff John Fuson and the MCSO on their promotions.
Austin Brown, Emmanuel Vaughn and Dietrich Williams received the rank of corporal. Joe Thomas, Harold Stilts and Joseph Welch additionally obtained the roles of assistant chief deputy and jail administrator, captain and assistant jail administrator and lieutenant, respectively.
Former Captain and Assistant Jail Administrator Joe Thomas has been promoted to assistant chief deputy and jail administrator. He replaces the retired jail administrator and chief deputy Martin Pierce and brings a well-rounded law enforcement background to his new position.
Thomas previously worked for the Erin and New Johnsonville Police Departments, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office – where he served as jail administrator and chief deputy – and with the Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) as a jail inspector. During his tenure as jail administrator, Thomas earned the TCI Jail Administrator of the Year award in 2014. Thomas also served in the U.S. Air Force, where he retired after 21 years of service.
Lieutenant Harold Stilts has been promoted to captain and assistant jail administrator. Stilts began his career with the MCSO in October 1994. He was promoted to corporal in November 1997 and to sergeant in March 2000.
In October 2017, he was promoted to lieutenant of the Inmate Custody Division. Stilts, also a U.S. Army Veteran, brings nearly 27 years of internal corrections experience to his new position.
Sergeant Joseph Welch has been promoted to lieutenant of the Inmate Custody Division. Welch began his career with the MCSO in October 2007 and was promoted to corporal in February 2011 and to sergeant in April 2016.
Welch has been serving as the inmate classification sergeant since May 2019 and carries 14 years of experience.