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Chief Brent Slaughter and Capt. William 'David' Nunn
Leaving Hardin County is bittersweet for native William “David” Nunn and his family. Nunn, a law enforcement veteran, and his family are moving to western Harris County so his wife can pursue her career.
For more than 25 years, Nunn has worked in law enforcement and June 29 was his final day as captain of the Kountze Police Department.
Police Chief Brent Slaughter and his officers gave Nunn a surprise “going away” celebration at police headquarters. Slaughter presented a plaque for Nunn’s “selfless services, hard work and dedication to Hardin County and Kountze Police Department.”
Nearly two years ago, after a few years of dating, Nunn, got married. The couple has four children between them.
His wife, Katie, who worked as a substitute teacher in Lumberton ISD, recently accepted a teaching position in Katy ISD and she begins this fall. She will be an assistant physical education coach at Betty Sue Creech Elementary School.
Katie will continue her education, taking online college courses through Stephen F. Austin State University at night. She will graduate with a degree in education in May 2025.
For most of his life, Nunn has resided in Hardin County and it’s home to a lot of memories.
“I was born and raised in Silsbee and I’ve been in Hardin County for a long time,” he said. “I’m going to let her chase her dream.”
Nunn, a 1994 Silsbee High School graduate, got into law enforcement as a dispatcher with the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) in 1997 under former sheriff Ed Cain, who served as sheriff for 20 years.
“I’ve always wanted to go into law enforcement,” he said. “A few guys I went to church with were already working for Ed. They went through the academy and I was a volunteer fireman with the Silsbee Fire Department since I was 15 years old. I went to the oil fields for a little while and decided law enforcement is where I needed to be.”
He moved to Lake Charles, La., in 2000 to work as a dispatcher, then became a part-time reserve deputy in 2002 with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.
But he returned to Hardin County in late 2004 as a jailer until early 2009. In the latter half of 2008, Nunn attended and graduated from the Police Academy at Angelina College. He worked part-time going to the academy and began work as a full-time deputy with HCSO in early 2009.
Former HCSO major, Dennis Allen, took Nunn under his wing and instilled years of experience in Nunn. Allen retired last year after more than 52 years in law enforcement.
“While in the Criminal Investigations Division, Dennis scooped me up and taught me so much,” said Nunn. “He taught me a lot, not just about being an officer, but an investigator. I learned the most from him.”
After 17 years with HCSO, Nunn accepted the position of captain with Kountze PD.
“He brought so much to the table,” said Chief Slaughter. “I begged him not to leave but he has to follow his family. He’s been an outstanding asset to this department.”
During his career, Nunn gained experience as a criminal investigator and two years of experience in digital forensic investigations through the U.S. Secret Service.
“A lot of people attributed me and I learned a lot from a lot of people,” he said. “I hope I’ve passed it to the guys that I trained how to respect and treat people and to be able to go out there and still do our jobs even in today’s time, which we know is hard.”
Nunn is not worried about landing another position in law enforcement.
“I’ve already had several agencies get in contact with me,” he said. “I’m just waiting to see what the best option is.”