The Licking Police Department recently hired two new officers: Charles Weaver and Kenny Santee.
Weaver was born and raised in New Orleans and grew up in a family with a long history of military service, an early influence which helped shape his life and values. He came to Missouri in 2004, and attended Clearwater High School in Piedmont.
Following his graduation in 2007, Weaver joined the Missouri Army National Guard and served six years in a variety of units, including Force Support, Military Police and Combat Engineers. In 2010, he volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan for a year-long tour of duty, where he conducted security missions in and around Kabul as a machine gunner assigned to a personnel security team.
CHARLES WEAVER
During his deployment, Weaver distinguished himself from his peers by winning a Soldier-of-the-Quarter board (a competition among junior enlisted soldiers) and by earning the Army Commendation Medal for his distinguished leadership serving in a team leader capacity, a position above his rank at the time.
Honorably discharged from the Army after attaining the rank of sergeant, Weaver was accepted into the Police Academy at Poplar Bluff, where he graduated as class salutatorian in January 2013. Prior to his employment with the LPD beginning July 1, Charles gained experience conducting patrol and investigations while working as a deputy sheriff.
Weaver lives in Licking with his wife, Brittney, and their three children.
Santee has been a Licking area resident since July 2011. His prior employment includes over 12 years as an active duty soldier with the U.S. Army.
Initially stationed in Germany with the 1st Infantry Division, Santee conducted peacekeeping missions in Kosovo and Bosnia, and deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his last six years on active duty, he conducted felony investigations with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID), with duty assignments in Texas, Korea and Missouri.
As a CID special agent, Santee received considerable training and experience in major crime scene processing, evidence handling procedures, interview and interrogation techniques and sexual assault investigations. After completing his active duty service, he served five years in the Missouri Army National Guard with the 1137th Military Police Company, deploying in support of state emergency duties and overseas deployment training.
KENNY SANTEE
For the past 4 1/2 years, Santee has been an instructor for the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division at the U.S. Army Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood, where he trained federal investigators and prosecutors in the Special Victims Capabilities Course.
Santee has been married to his wife, Shauna-Lynn, for over 26 years and has two daughters. He has been a reserve officer for the LPD for about a year before making the change to a full time officer on Oct. 1.
LPD Chief Pat Burton said the department currently employs six full time officers, including one school resource officer (SRO), and three active reserve officers. The SRO position was added in June and when an officer was moved into that position, Weaver was brought on board to fill that vacancy.
Burton said another officer resigned to become the SRO at Plato Schools and Santee was hired to fill that opening.