James Thomas Faith

January 1, 1933, to December 31, 1936

James Thomas Faith, brother of former sheriff Sam Faith, began his career in law enforcement when he served as chief deputy under Sheriff John Moore from 1894 to 1898. He was elected to his first term as sheriff on November 2, 1932. He took office on January 1, 1933. It was during Sheriff Faith's first term of office that Wise County had its only deputy killed in the line of duty.

On January 27, 1933, only 26 days after Tom Faith had taken over Deputy Joseph Brown Jr. was shot and killed.

Joseph Brown, barber by trade and deputy sheriff for the Rhome area, received information from the sheriff's department that a vehicle occupied by four suspects, in a theft of an oil drum that occurred in the Alvord area, could possibly be coming through his area. Brown spotted the vehicle matching the description that the sheriff's department had given as it came through Rhome on Hwy 2. Brown ordered the vehicle to stop and when the driver complied, Brown stepped up onto the running board and motioned the driver to pull up to his barber shop. Brown escorted the four subjects into the shop, without searching them, and seated three of them on the waiting bench and the other on a large breadbox. As he contacted the sheriff's department by telephone, the unidentified man seated on the breadbox pulled a pistol from his rear pocket. He pointed the gun at Brown and advised him that he would be going with them. Brown protested and pushed the suspect back through the doorway. As the man fell, he fired six shots from the pistol, striking Brown in the neck. When by-standers came into the barbershop, they found Joe Brown collapsed in a chair. Three of the suspects fled from the scene continuing south of Hwy. #2.

Doyle Meeks, the driver, who had fled from the scene when the unidentified man took the pistol from his pants, later turned himself in to Sheriff Faith. Ida and Glenn Hunsucker were later arrested in Childress, Texas. The third suspect is not identified in the newspaper articles.

Ida Hunsucker was tried, convicted and sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary. The charges against Glenn Hunsucker were dismissed.