Khan named Deputy of the Quarter
Deputy First Class John Kahn’s training came in handy when a routine traffic stop turned into something much bigger – and potentially much deadlier.
It was because of his ability to read the situation and quickly react to it that Khan, an 11-year veteran with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, was named the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Deputy of the Quarter at their monthly business leaders luncheon at Herons Glen last week.
“It’s an honor, more for the sheriff’s office. This particular incident was particularly labor intensive,” Khan said. “It’s nice to be recognized for doing my job. I love North Fort Myers and the people in it. If they feel they want to reward me, I’m OK with it.”
On June 27 at just after 9:30 a.m., Khan conducted a traffic stop on a car that had a broken turn signal cover. Kahn said he got a call from a concerned father about his son who had a drug habit and was worried about him.
During that stop, he saw a purple gelatinous brick called a Suboxone Gummy Bear and a multicolored glass pipe near the center console that showed there were drugs and paraphernalia in the vehicle.
Khan also discovered a concealed handgun between the driver’s seat and the center console. The gun had no safety lock and one round was in the chamber, with five others in the magazine.
Further investigation revealed the gun had been stolen from the driver’s mother’s home in Punta Gorda, but had not been reported. The driver was also a convicted felon.
After two hours of investigation, Khan arrested the man, who was a repeat offender.
Khan said when a stolen handgun is involved, things become more labor intensive. Detectives were called to the scene and the victim of the theft filled out a report.
“With a convicted felon, you have to confirm that and go through the car and make sure you went through everything. It takes about two hours to get everything done,” Khan said.
Khan has been honored before. When he worked in corrections, he was named corrections officer of the quarter in 2008.