ON THE COVER
Former Sheriff Billy Sollie reflects on nearly 50-year career
Story by Glenda Sanders , Photos by Thomas Howard
Standing on the pier at the edge of the lake , no sooner had Billy Sollie cast his fishing rod when he felt a tug on the line under the water . In disbelief , he began to reel the fish in slowly . “ What are the chances of that happening ?” said the soon-to-be-retired Lauderdale County sheriff , laughing , since he was only meant to be posing for a photo and not actually fishing . Not as big a fish as he would have liked , but another story to add to his collection . From escaped inmates to car chases to a shooting where he met his wife , Sollie has amassed a lot of stories from nearly 50 years of working in law enforcement in Meridian and Lauderdale County , including the last 28 years as sheriff . Sollie hopes the fish keep biting as he navigates this new phase of life , called retirement , as it brings a lot of change to his daily life and plenty of time on his hands . “ I have not done a good job of mentally preparing myself for the void ,” Sollie said three weeks before he handed off command to Ward Calhoun , his former chief deputy and now the new sheriff , in a tearful sign-off at midnight on New Year ’ s Eve . “ I am 18 days away from retirement , and I get text messages starting at 3 o ’ clock in the morning about the activities of the night ,” he said . “ Many folks would say , ‘ leave me alone .’ But I am going to miss that . It is going to be a huge void .”
Life After The Badge
Dreams of being a cop Born and raised in Meridian , a life in law enforcement was always in the cards for Sollie . His father , William Ethan Sollie , who was widely known as Sgt . Sollie , was a longtime officer with the Meridian Police Department . His mother , Evelin Sollie , was a former chancery clerk for Lauderdale County . “ As the story was told by my parents , on one occasion , when I was a little bitty toddler I had borrowed my father ’ s whistle and was standing out in the middle of 20th Street directing traffic ,” he said . Set on following in his father ’ s footsteps , Sollie graduated from Meridian High School in 1973 and attended then-Meridian Junior College for a year . He began his journey in law enforcement by joining the Meridian Police Department in July 1974 after turning 19 years old and passing the entrance exam .
Life in retirement for Billy Sollie will include lots of fishing and hunting .
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