Kansas City, Kan. - Roll call at the Wyandotte County Jail is when deputies plan for the day ahead. It’s important for each deputy to carry his or her own weight -- but there’s one deputy on the shift that carries that and then some.
Deputy Jon “Big Jon” Cortes is arguably one of the strongest deputies you’ll meet.
“When I was a young kid in California all the guys used to life weights. That was just the thing to do. So, to get strong, when I was in middle school I started lifting weights and doing fist push-ups," Cortes said.
Cortes has won three weightlifting competitions so far, most recently a national competition.
“Bench press I did 387 [pounds], squat I did 410 [pounds], and deadlift I did 511 [pounds].” Cortes said.
He has even formed a weightlifting team at the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office.
“My main goal is to make this powerlifting team the strongest powerlifting team on this side of the Midwest," he said.
His supervisors said “Big Jon” is more than just physically strong.
“Mentally, ethically spiritually,” Captain David Thaxton said. “I really appreciate him. He gets in there and gets the job done.”
It’s something Cortes said he sees himself doing for a very long time.
“I want to do powerlifting and jail until I retire. It’s just in my blood."
