Durant Police Department
DURANT – Two new police officers were sworn in to serve on the Durant police force on Tuesday at Durant City Hall, Mark Idell and John Puana.
News presented by First United Bank.
Idell was born in Durant and lived with parents Greg and Shawn Idell until relocating with family for missionary work in 1996. He spent the next twelve years in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada graduating from high school there.
In pursuit of athletics and education, Idell enrolled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and played football for five seasons under Coach Ray Richards. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and went to work for the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office as a confinement officer and eventually a deputy for two years.
Puana was born in Durant in 1993 and graduated from Rock Creek High School in 2011. He enlisted in the Army as a field artillery cannon crew member and left for basic training in October 2011. After completion of basic training he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas for 3 1/2 years.
Following his service in the Army, Puana went to work for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a correctional officer for three years.