Monday afternoon inside the Dewey Police Department turned tragic when Sgt. Robbie Hicks took his own life. Hicks had spent eight years wearing the badge in this small Washington County town. He was a familiar face to local residents and fellow officers alike. That routine sense of safety shattered in an instant inside the station house.
A deputy from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office had just walked into the building to hand Hicks a court-issued protective order. The paperwork carried immediate legal consequences for any law enforcement officer. Before the service could be fully completed, Hicks drew a gun and fired a single shot. The sudden gunshot rang out through the small department, catching everyone inside completely off guard.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene right away. They loaded Hicks into an ambulance and sped toward Jane Phillips Emergency Room in neighboring Bartlesville. Medical staff worked to stabilize him, but the injury proved fatal. He died later that day at the hospital, leaving behind colleagues who were forced to process a devastating loss right where they work.
State and local authorities revealed that Hicks was facing serious trouble behind the scenes. He was under active investigation for alleged criminal conduct prior to the shooting. State officials have not released the specific nature of those allegations or what prompted the protective order. The sudden turn of events left many in the community struggling to reconcile his years of service with his final hours.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation stepped in at the request of the Washington County District Attorney’s Office. OSBI agents are handling the probe into how the shooting happened inside the station. State officials made it clear that their inquiry focuses solely on the circumstances of the death itself. The separate investigation into the criminal allegations remains in the hands of the sheriff’s office.
For a small police department with only eleven sworn officers, losing a veteran sergeant in this manner hits hard. The city closed the station house temporarily to give staff time to process the event and rerouted emergency calls. Mental health professionals were brought in to support the sheriff’s deputy who attempted to serve the order, along with the officers who witnessed the aftermath.
People across Dewey are now left sorting through complex emotions. Eight years of police work represent hundreds of shifts, routine traffic stops, and everyday interactions with neighbors. While the legal investigations will eventually answer some outstanding questions, the personal grief and confusion among those who knew Hicks will take much longer to fade.
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