Sheriff Earl Sermon Dyess, Sr.

Earl Sermon Dyess, Sr.

Sheriff Earl Dyess was stabbed to death while investigating the sound of gunfire in an alley behind his home at 547 East Sagamore Avenue in Clewiston.

As he confronted two teenagers, he demanded one of them give him his .22 caliber pistol. As a struggle began for possession of the weapon, the 18-year-old's 15-year-old stepbrother stabbed him in the heart. Both boys were apprehended the next day.

The 15-year-old, who was tried as an adult, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 137 years. He died in prison in 2021. His stepbrother, charged with manslaughter, had his case dismissed in 1981.

Sheriff Dyess had served with the Hendry County Sheriff's Office for 20 years. He was survived by his wife and two sons.