By Kris Smith
On Friday, a standing room only crowd at the Navarro County Justice Center dropped by to honor the retirement of Navarro County Sheriff’s Office Captain of Criminal Investigations Department.
The 26-year career of Captain Stan Farmer, Navarro County native, began after graduation from Tarleton State University Police Academy.
An avid hunter, Captain Farmer stated,” It was a beautiful area of Texas with a lot of different types of animals to be hunted. Hunting is one of my favorite hobbies. In 1998, Captain Farmer began his law enforcement at the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office. He stated, “I owe a lot of my success in law enforcement to several officers from the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office. These guys took the time to train and mold me early on in my career to gain a vast knowledge of all aspects of the job. So, for that I would like to say thanks to David Billeiter, Brown Stokes, John Lavender, Charlie Hicks, Scott Prout, James Bowlin, Jeff Bowman, Pam Hicks, and the late Randall Sanders. Early on in my career I knew I had a passion for working narcotics after working with David and Charlie.”
Married to the love of his life, Jennifer, for 28 years, the Farmers share two sons, Jacob and Tyler. After the birth of their eldest son, the couple decided to move back to Corsicana to be closer to family, and Stan began his career with the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office under the guidance of the late Sheriff Les Cotton.
“Even though I already had previous experience, I had to begin in the jail as most did back in those days. It didn’t take long before I was promoted to patrol,” stated Capt. Farmer. In just 2 years, he was promoted to the Criminal Investigations Division and worked under the late Captain Jimmy Spencer who also had a passion for Narcotics Investigations.
In 2005, the current Navarro County Sheriff Elmer Tanner took over as Captain of the Criminal Investigations Division and Farmer was assigned to work Narcotics full time while assisting with criminal case load. Alongside Sheriff Tanner and now Lieutenant Clint Andrews, the team made thousands of narcotics cases over the next several years.
When Sheriff Tanner took on his new role in 2014, Stan Farmer began his new career as NCSO Captain of the Criminal Investigations Division. He stated, “I would like to thank Sheriff Tanner and Chief Deputy Morris Steward for putting trust in me to be able to run the Criminal Investigation Division the last 10 years.”
Citing several other officers that have had an impact on his career throughout Navarro County, Captain Farmer said, “With that being said, I would like to thank Jimmy Johnson, Hank Bailey, Clint Andrews, Randy Clay, Jeff Harbuck, Scott Stephens, Rickey Ragan, Kevin Scott, Robbie Jock, Caleb Loftis, Jason Earles, Joey Jock, Brandon Bates, Travis Thurston, and Eric Wilson. I will have very fond memories of these guys for the rest of my life and again thanks for being a part of it.”
Farmer also credits Chief Deputy Morris Steward as one of his strongest supporters at NCSO. “I would like to thank Chief Deputy Morris Steward for being such a great supporter during my time as Captain. Chief Steward is always there for the hard times and good times.” He has been such an important asset to the entire department.
He continued, “I would finally like to thank Sheriff Tanner for the many years of memories during my time as a Sergeant in Narcotics and through my tenure as Captain of the Criminal Investigations Division. I would like to thank him for his continued devotion to all the citizens of Navarro County.”
Captain Farmer is ready to enjoy some rest and relaxation. “I believe at this time in my life, I have the opportunity to enjoy life outside of law enforcement. You can find me close to the water with a fishing pole in my hand enjoying the smaller things in life.”
Thank you, Captain Farmer, for your dedication to our county and its citizens.
Here are some statements from Captain Farmer’s peers and citizens of Navarro County:
Navarro County Sheriff Elmer Tanner stated, “Stan and I spent many hours over the years, both day and night, working together conducting narcotics investigations, tactical missions and countless other investigations. Stan was not just a coworker but a friend and a person you could count on. His years of knowledge and experience will be sorely missed here at the NCSO. I can truly say he made a difference in his law enforcement career while serving the citizens of Navarro County. I sincerely wish Stan and his family all the very best in his well-deserved retirement.”
NCSO Detective Sergeant Randy Clay stated, “Stan is an exceptional example of a working law enforcement officer, and it has been a pleasure working with him.”
“Captain Stan Farmer was an asset to the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office that will be missed and will be difficult to replace.” Navarro County Commissioner Precinct 3 Eddie Moore.
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