Retired Chief Deputy Fredrick “Freddy” Yarborough of the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office died on Jan. 29 at the age of 72.

Deputy Gloria “Nikki” Greenwood worked closely with Yarbrough when she started working at the office in 2006 until Yarbrough retired just a few years ago. She considered him a mentor and an excellent teacher.

“Me and Freddie, we did a lot together. He showed me a lot of things. He was a community person. He was well known, and he went above and beyond the call of duty,” Greenwood said. “And if he could help you, he was going to help you. It was a lot that he did while he was working at the sheriff’s department.”

Greenwood and Yarbrough were not officially partners, but they often teamed up when answering calls.

“Because we were just that close. I mean, we rode together like Bonnie and Clyde. When he went on a call, I was on a call. He wasn’t going to leave you hanging,” Greenwood said. “If he had to show you how to write an affidavit, he was going to show you how to sit down and write that affidavit. Anything that you needed, he was going to be there for you.”

Frank Davis was Sheriff of Claiborne County during the time Yarbrough worked there, beginning around 1980 when Davis was first elected.

“Whatever you gave him, he was going to take care of it. You didn’t have to worry about it. You didn’t have to think about it. If he gave him an assignment, he was going to take care of it. And you knew he was going to think about how you would handle it before he would go and do it.”

Yarbrough began working with Davis around 1980 and was his Chief Deputy for many years.  Yarbrough left the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office when Davis was defeated in the local election.

He then went to work at the Warren County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy for about four years, until Davis won the following election, at which point Yarbrough began working again in Claiborne County as Davis’s Chief Deputy, retiring around 2020.

Davis said he hopes Yarbrough will be remembered for his dedication to his job and love for the communities that he served.

“He took everything to heart. You could always count on him,” Davis said. “I don’t care what the situation might be, you could always count on him, that he was going to be right there doing whatever he needed to do to make the situation better.”

A funeral service for Yarbrough will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at New Christian Fellowship Church, 208 Oak St., Port Gibson. Visitation will be held on Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Barnes Chapel and Mortuary Service, 5087 Highway 61 South in Port Gibson.