Knights of Columbus Citizen of the Year: Sarah Vaughan

Charles County Sheriff Rex W. Coffey is pleased to announce Sarah Vaughan, coordinator of the CCSO’s Teen Court program, was recently named Citizen of the Year by the Knights of Columbus at a ceremony held on March 23. Ms. Vaughan was nominated for this prestigious award by Mark Shutters, Grand Knight, Archbishop Neale Council, who attends church with her and who has a son who volunteered in the Teen Court program. “Her work in this program is phenomenal and impressive. I thought she would make an excellent candidate for this award,” said Shutters.

Vaughan, a ten year employee of the CCSO, has been the coordinator of Teen Court for seven years. “Sarah is a compassionate advocate for young people and has built Teen Court into one of the best programs in the state. She has an incredible ability to connect with everyone and there is no doubt in my mind she has made a difference in the lives of many teens,” said Sheriff Coffey.

Charles County Teen Court is a juvenile justice diversion program in which first-time offenders between the ages of 12 and 17 are judged by a jury of their peers and offered the opportunity to accept accountability for their minor crimes without having to incur a permanent record. The program was designed to reduce the number of youthful offenders, ease the burden on the taxpayers with an already overcrowded criminal justice system, and educate the youthful offenders in a realistic court environment.

Teen Court volunteer judge, Wayne Magoon, said Vaughan is superb at her job. “Sarah is the most dedicated, caring individual when it comes to Teen Court. She treats all of the teens as if they were her children. She has been instrumental in helping turn many of them around and pointing them back to doing the right things. I am proud to work with her,” Magoon said.

Over the past five years, Vaughan has managed approximately 900 Teen Court cases. In addition, she coordinates guest lectures, field trips, and community outreach missions. In 2009, Sheriff Coffey nominated Vaughan for Working Woman of the Year. “Clearly, Sarah earned this distinction and we are just proud to have her working with us,” said Sheriff Coffey. Read the entire award nomination here:

Sarah Vaughan Civilian of the Year Nomination

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The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is a full-service law enforcement agency comprised of more than 600 police, corrections and civilian personnel responsible for protecting more than 150,000 residents. The CCSO was accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2001 has been designated as a CALEA Gold Standard of Excellence agency since 2011. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit ccso.us.

Media Contact
Diane Richardson
301-609-6557
richardsond@ccso.us