Fontes began his career in Law Enforcement in 1996 as a corrections officer working in Cocke County TN, a small community of about 36,000 residents. In 1997 he was hired as a Deputy Seriff and worked night shift patrol. He spent a few years as a Deputy Sheriff, School Resource officer and in 2010 he was elected Sheriff. He ran for office a total of three times and finished a 25-year career in law enforcement with 12 years as an elected sheriff.
During his time in office, Fontes created the department’s first narcotic division which resulted in millions of dollars of illegal narcotics being taken off the streets of Newport and Cocke County TN. He received two governor appointments, one to the Tennessee Corrections Institute Board of Control, and another to the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council.
He is a graduate from the Walters State Community College, and Walters State Police Academy. Fontes served as an adjunct instructor at the Walters State Community College.
He currently serves as the East Tennessee Law Enforcement Liaison with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office and the UT Center for Transportation Research.