Cleveland County Board of Commissioners announced the appointment of Sen. Darrell Weaver as sheriff during a press conference Monday afternoon.
Weaver has served two terms in the senate and was first elected in 2018. He lost in the Republican primary for Oklahoma lieutenant governor Tuesday, according to unofficial election results from the Oklahoma State Election Board. Weaver previously served as the director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control.
State Senator Darrell Weaver has been appointed as Cleveland County Sheriff by the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners.
Weaver’s appointment follows the resignation of former Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason, who resigned in late April after pleading no contest to one felony count of embezzlement.
The appointment also follows Acting Sheriff Michael Finley’s June 8 request that the board halt the sheriff hiring process and instead hold a special election. A county spokesperson later said state statute requires the position be filled by appointment.
Finley also requested a review by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Public Corruption Division following unspecified information obtained through an open records request.
Weaver said he was aware of the request but not familiar with the specifics.
“I kind of Googled around and tried to find anybody that kind of thought what the concern was. I never saw anything, but at that point, that was completely out of my circle of influence,” Weaver said.
Weaver said he plans to use his accounting experience to look into the sheriff's office's budget. Weaver has a degree in accounting, according to his profile on the Oklahoma State Senate website.
“It’s all about really what you want to do with the money, …” Weaver said. “We have a couple weeks here that I want to dissect those numbers and start wrapping my arms around it.”
An April 2025 audit by State Auditor Cindy Byrd revealed Amason exceeded his budget by approximately $4 million.
Weaver emphasized integrity, accountability and service as principles he wants to bring to the sheriff's office.
“If you really want to be great in your life, you try to be a servant, and I know that's contrary to what most people think,” Weaver said. “This is about making a good sheriff's office better.”
A Monday afternoon press release said the board of commissioners reviewed “an incredible pool of (sheriff) applicants.”
“I believe Darrell Weaver embodies many of the qualities we were seeking in a Sheriff, and I am confident he is going to do an excellent job for Cleveland County,” District 1 Commissioner Rod Cleveland wrote in the release.
Weaver will resign from his senate seat July 5 and begin his term as sheriff July 6, serving for the remainder of the term, which ends in 2028.
This story was edited by Reagan Rozzi.
