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The Harris County Sheriff’s Office takes this opportunity on Sibling Day to thank the sibling teams who are also part of the HCSO family for their dedication to the HCSO family and the citizens of Harris County. Thank you!

Six Brothers’ Dedication to Protecting the Citizens of Harris County

(HOUSTON, TX) – It’s difficult to tell who’s who. After all, they look like one another and, for the most part, wear the same uniform. But what’s unmistakable about the Thomas brothers is their bond and love for one another, and their dedication to public service.

Five of the Thomases proudly wear the Harris County Sheriff’s Office uniform: James (deputy), Jeff (sergeant), David (deputy), Mike (sergeant), and Doug (sergeant). The oldest brother, Danny, used to wear the HCSO uniform before switching it for Constable Precinct 1 attire, where he has served as a deputy since 2004.

It’s worth mentioning that their sister, Lisa, also worked at the HCSO as a detention officer before resigning in 2011.

Their combined years in law enforcement total 140, not counting Lisa’s. They calculate
having made over 6,000 arrests.

“We all played cowboys and Indians when we were little,” says Sgt. Jeff Thomas. “Now we’re real-life cops dealing with real-life robbers,” says Sgt. James Thomas.

David was the first one to enter the world of law enforcement- in 1984 with the Houston Police Department. The rest followed shortly thereafter.

Not originally from Harris County, the Thomases quickly embraced the area as home.

They moved to Texas in the mid ‘70s after their father’s job in retail brought the family to Houston from the east coast. At first, the family settled in Houston’s East End in what the brothers call a ‘pretty bad neighborhood.’

One day, David and Jeff were folding newspapers at the now extinct Houston Post office, just east of downtown (Danny, Doug, and Mike would throw the newspapers from a pickup truck on to people’s yards while their dad drove) when the two got robbed by a pair of teenagers. “You look back at that and you always want to do good for people,” says Jeff about his commitment to law enforcement.

Later, the Thomases moved to the suburbs- northwest Harris County. As a matter of fact, they lived right across the street from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office

Cypresswood substation and would play outside all the time. Sgt. Doug Thomas recalls how a friend of his father’s who worked at the sheriff’s office would come out and talk to the Thomas boys, as did other deputies. “They would always hang out with us and play with us,” he says. “That’s when we knew we wanted to work for the sheriff’s office.”

“Helping people and putting bad guys in jail,” say the Thomases is what they love most about their job. “We have a blast,” says Jeff.

So what do ‘the Thomas boys’, as they’re known, talk about when they get together? “Not work!” they’re quick to point out. With 22 children, there are plenty of other family matters to discuss. Interestingly, none of their children is in law enforcement.

Dep. Dan Thomas- Harris County Constable Precinct 1
Sgt. Doug Thomas- HCSO Missing Persons
Sgt. Mike Thomas- HCSO District 2 Patrol
Dep. David Thomas- HCSO K9 Unit
Sgt. Jeff Thomas- HCSO Safe Home Task Force
Dep. James Thomas- HCSO Homicide Unit


Captain John Martin, Deputy Donald Dehnert, and Assistant Terri Shannon

Brothers Capt. John Martin and Dep. Donald Dehnert joined the Harris County Sheriff’s Office more than 20 years ago after their mother, retired Sgt. Dorothy Dehnert, “talked them into it”. Their sister, Terri, was already working at the SO as a clerk in auto theft. She had joined the department in 1984, straight out of high school.

“We were raised by cops and I didn’t want to go to college right out of the gate, so I came here ‘till I figured it out, and it was a good match,” she says. Their father, Larry, retired as an assistant chief from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.

For Capt. Martin, then a college student, the job at the SO was only going to be temporary while he finished college. At least that was his intention. “I didn’t have a definite plan but law enforcement wasn’t part of it,” he says. “Twenty three years later I’m still here!” As to why he stayed, “I think I realized that I liked it and met some amazing people and have had some incredible opportunities. It’s been good to me.”

For his brother Donald, the path to law enforcement was a bit more strategic. He was working as an assistant manager at a local auto shop. “I was going to college at the time. I needed something a little more stable- something that would actually pay a little better,” he recalls. “I was looking for direction.”

Captain Martin is assigned to the Justice Compliance and Inspection Bureau.

Dep. Dehnert is assigned to the Clean and Green Program which he, along with Dep. Medina, started.

Terri Shannon is the administrative assistant to Capt. Wrobleski in detentions.


Sgt. Cedrick Collier and Deputy Milton Collier

“I’ve always wanted to be a cop,” says Sgt. Cedrick Collier, who prior to joining the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in 1997 worked as a Constable Precinct 5 deputy.

For his older brother, Dep. Milton Collier, that wasn’t the case. “Cedrick talked me into it,” he says. “I was already working at Precinct 4 as a heavy equipment mechanic and was looking for a better job.”

Milton put himself through night school at the University of Houston- Downtown and was hired at the Sheriff’s Office in 1996.

As a child, Sgt. Collier loved the television series CHiPs. Coincidence or not, he met a real-life motorcycle officer when he was in elementary school.

“My first cop who I first contacted with was HCSO Deputy Lonnie Williams who used to pick up his daughter when we were in elementary school. He later became my sergeant before he retired,” recalls Sgt. Collier with a smile. “He was probably my inspiration for being a cop.”

“I made enough mistakes for him not to,” says Dep. Collier about his baby brother Cedrick who’s 11 years his junior.

“It’s been fun finding someone who I can relate to and who can relate to what I’m doing and going through,” says Dep. Collier.

Sgt. Cedrick Collier is assigned to the Criminal Justice Command Bureau and is an on-call Public Information Officer.

Dep. Milton Collier is assigned to Transportation.


Detention Officers Aricka Johnson and Gregory Noflin

Detention Officers Aricka Johnson and Gregory Noflin not only share the workplace but the same lineage, too. The two work the 7th floor at the 701 jail. Both are from Long Beach, CA. “He [Gregory] is the one who was employed here first, and told me to apply since I was in the process of relocating to Houston,” writes DO Johnson. “He basically trained me before I got here and when I got here, which only made the transition for me so much easier. So on this day . . . I would like to express my love and thanks to my Lil brother Gregory Charles Noflin.”


Detention Officers Ketrick McCutcheon and Keona McCutcheon

Detention Officer Ketrick McCutcheon works at the 1200 Baker St jail on the fifth floor. His sister Keona McCutcheon is also a Detention Officer at 1200 Baker but on the sixth floor. “We’re both hard working and dedicated to our craft, and have pride about what we do,” says Ketrick. “My sister has been here two years, and I’ve been here almost a year. We’re the 5th and 6th persons in our family to come through Harris County so we love carrying on our family tradition but we chose this field simply because we love Law Enforcement and what this career offers.” Both plan to eventually become patrol deputies.