Several Washington County officials were sworn into office by District Judge Linda Thomas on Monday morning in the Commissioners Meeting Room.

Taking the oath of office was Sheriff Scott Owen, Commissioner Mike Bouvier, County Clerk Annette Smith, and Court Clerk Jill Spitzer.

Sheriff Owen said he looks forward to serving Washington County for another four years. He said his office will continue to do the good job that they've been doing.

There will be challenges. Sheriff Owen said they'll continue to handle the COVID-19 pandemic like they have from the beginning. He said they'll continue to work through fluid situations together at the Washington County Sheriff's Office (WCSO).

Sheriff Owen said the WCSO will stay abreast of new legislation coming up in 2021. He said there will be plenty of bond changes and sentencing changes. He said they're also having to hold prisoners from Oklahoma's penitentiaries due to issues surrounding COVID-19.

The WCSO is staying on the phone with State officials. Sheriff Owen said they're handling testing and quarantine situations well before they send prisoners on their way. He said the WCSO wants to create the best medical environment they can as we continue to work our way through the coronavirus pandemic.

County Clerk Smith said it is an honor to serve the citizens of Washington County. 

The hope for Smith is that the County Clerk's Office can get a little more automated. Smith said they'll be moving more towards an internet base so if they need people to work from home like they've had to do at times during the coronavirus pandemic, they can do so without issues. She said they also want to get more information out there to let people know that they can do research on real estate records without having to come into the Clerk's Office.

The Washington County Clerk's Office will be the first County Clerk's Office in the State of Oklahoma to move land records to a cloud based system on the internet through KellPro. Smith said they'll go  live with the new system this summer. She added that they're still in the process of putting more real estate records online, making research more efficient for citizens of Washington County.

Smith has worked for Washington County for more than 30 years. Prior to her role as Clerk, Smith served as former Clerk Marjorie Parrish's First Deputy for over 10 years. She was appointed to the role of County Clerk a year and a half ago.

During her time as Clerk, Smith has loved working with the other elected officials in Washington County. Smith said they have a great group in leadership. She said she also works with an incredible staff in her office located in the County Administration Building in downtown Bartlesville.

Pictured below left to right: Commissioner Mike Bouvier, Sheriff Scott Owen, Clerk Annette Smith, Court Clerk Jill Spitzer.