Hubbard reflects as she retires from courthouse

RED BAY — Lifelong Red Bay resident Sherri Hubbard has spent the past 24 years serving Franklin County as a courthouse deputy.

Before joining the courthouse staff, she began her career in law enforcement with the Red Bay Police Department in 1999, working as a school resource officer.

She said what she enjoyed most about that role was spending time with the children.

The opportunity came after the mayor of Red Bay and a councilman encouraged her to apply. She accepted and started working at the school in August 1999.

To qualify, she attended the police academy at Jacksonville State University in 2000.

After completing the training, she was offered a different position with the Police Department. However, the job required second-shift hours. With her husband working nights and two young children at home, the schedule wasn’t feasible.

She spent about a year at the Red Bay schools before circumstances changed. When a position at the courthouse opened, she applied for it and soon joined the staff.

That transition marked the start of what has now become more than two decades of service as a courthouse deputy.

She said protecting people is at the heart of her role.

“If someone’s involved in a domestic violence case and feels in danger, we walk them to their cars,” she explained. “We wait until they leave, or we go out and meet them. While they’re here, they’re protected.”

Part of that responsibility includes patrolling the building.

“Every morning, we walk the whole courthouse from top to bottom,” she said. “You make sure nothing’s out of place and all the office doors are locked. We do the same thing every evening when we lock up.”

She added courthouse deputies do much more than sit at the front door. Their work includes staying alert to situations that might arise and making sure everyone in the building feels safe.

Over the years, she has also had to chase down people who tried to run.

“I’ve run after quite a few,” she said. “I even got hurt once running after one of them.”

Back when state troopers were handling driver’s licenses at the courthouse, warrants sometimes turned up.

“We had to go get them and hold them until the right officers arrived,” she said. “A lot of those people would run. We’ve had several take off — even in cuffs.”

She said it can be difficult, but when someone is in that state of mind, all they want to do is get away.

Through the years, she has seen many lives shaped by the courthouse.

“I’ve seen a lot of people that were drug addicts come clean and stay clean,” she said. “Sometimes you have a revolving door, but you connect to those people because you’re trying to encourage them.”

Her faith, she said, is central to that encouragement.

“God is an important part of my life. My faith is an important part of my life,” she said. “Sometimes I think maybe that’s why I got this job — to share my love of Christ with other people.”

She said she tries to encourage everyone.

“I had one girl that was an addict, and she was in and out of court all the time,” she said. “I told her she had to get herself across that junction. She went back to rehab, and she did accept Christ. She’s doing great now.”

Stories like that remind her of the variety of people she meets every day.

“You meet a lot of special people, a lot of different people,” she said. “I love my job.”

Busy or quiet, she said, there is always something to do.

“I love it more when we’re busy because I’d rather be busy than bored,” she said.

On slower days, she helps with tasks like checking VIN numbers or giving directions.

Her years as a courthouse deputyhavebrought memorable moments — from bomb threats and tornadoes to breaking up fights. She said there are difficult days, but also special memories, like the cross she was given when she first started.

“I still have that cross in my pocket,” she said.

Hubbard said she looks forward to spending more time with her children and grandchildren.

In the end, she said working as a courthouse deputy has been a good fit.

“I was here for a reason. I feel like I did my job.”

She said not everyone has always been happy with her, but she has always tried to treat people the same.

“We try to be courteous to everybody. We try to treat everybody equal, because that’s the way it’s supposed to be,” she said. “We try to help people, and we try to protect people. That’s part of the job.”