LAWTON – Comanche County Undersheriff Michael Merritt will lead the sheriff’s office starting in January.
A Republican, Merritt won the race to replace former Sheriff Kenny Stradley, who retired this year after 34 years in the sheriff’s office. Merritt defeated his Democratic opponent, David Stroud, in the Nov. 5 general election to claim the seat.
Merritt captured 20,544 votes, or 60.65% of the votes cast in the sheriff’s race, according to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board. Stroud finished second with 13,331 votes, or 39.35% of the total.
Merritt was a firefighter with the Lawton Fire Department for 25 years, serving as a captain and chief of training, according to his campaign’s Facebook page. He was honored with the department’s Distinguished Service Award in 1997 for going above and beyond the call of duty.
He later served as the county’s emergency management director, according to the campaign’s Facebook page. In 2021, he was recognized as the emergency manager of the year by the Southwest Region of the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association.
He later became a deputy with the sheriff’s office, where he was named Investigator of the Year in 2023, according to the campaign’s Facebook page. He currently serves as the undersheriff.