DOBSON — “It’s been a good week,” a tired Sheriff Graham Atkinson said Friday morning.

He should feel good, after an initiative he started raised nearly $70,000 in contributed money to make Christmas more enjoyable for more than 600 county children.

Wednesday morning, between 150 and 160 volunteers ranging from everyday citizens to school board chairmen, school superintendents and even county managers gathered at the Mount Airy Wal-Mart with one goal in mind: To provide clothing and toys to needy children in the county.

Typically each child receives about $100 worth of essential clothing and a couple of gifts based on a list provided by the child’s family. In addition, the sheriff said organizers are planning on providing about 225 food boxes which will be distributed in conjunction with the annual drive.

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STOKES COUNTY — The Stokes County Sheriff’s Office expands its ability to connect with the community in real time.

Sheriff Mike Marshall knows technology is at most people’s finger tips these days.
“Majority of the public have some type of smart phone,” he said.

Now he aims to connect the county and sheriff’s office with it through a smart phone application that launched a few weeks ago.

“If you see a crime taking place you can take a picture of it and it’ll allow you to send it through our app and we get it directly,” Marshall said.

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While many in the nation, from Oakland to New York, rally in protest over the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, I keep wondering: What about the good cops? As with our military personnel, we are often quick to hang the allegedly corrupt but slow to honor those who serve honestly to protect.

According to the nonprofit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, there are more than 900,000 of them who are serving in the United States; about 12 percent are women.

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PLYMOUTH, WASHINGTON COUNTY – Washington County’s sheriff-elect passed away Monday morning, one week before he was scheduled to be sworn into office, his family said.

A family member initially reported that John Sawyer III was not feeling well, said Timothy Copeland, Sawyer’s second cousin. Sawyer’s wife –a county paramedic– later found him not breathing in his recliner at about 6:15 a.m. Monday.

Sawyer’s exact cause of death is unknown. He was 46 years old.

Current Washington County Sheriff James Ross said Sawyer was scheduled to be sworn into office on Monday, Dec. 1. Sawyer had been undergoing training at the Sheriff’s Leadership Institute in Durham in preparation for his new job, said Ross.

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MONROE, N.C. — Hundreds in Union County are expected to attend the memorial service for a fallen sheriff’s sergeant who was killed in a “freak accident” while on the job.

Pastor Steve Jirgal of Lakeview Baptist Church announced funeral arrangements for Sgt. Jeff Greene, who died Wednesday on U.S. 74.

Greene was an active member of the church for nearly a decade, serving as a Sunday school teacher, going on mission trips and helping with Bible studies.

Jirgal said on the morning of his death, Greene’s wife of more than 20 years, April Greene, told him, “Have a good day. I love you. See you tonight.’”

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A beloved Union County sergeant was killed in a freak accident that unfolded in a matter of seconds Wednesday morning.

Flags are flying at half-staff as the Union County Sheriff’s Office waits for answers about what happened.

Sgt. Jeffrey Greene is the first Union County deputy to ever die while on the job.

“Jeff Greene was a personal friend, a family man and a valuable member of our Sheriff’s Office family,” said Sheriff Eddie Cathey in a statement. “His loss is a tragedy, not only to his family and friends, but to the citizens of Union County. His orientation of service to the community was a quality that should be embraced and emulated by us all. He will be missed.”

JACKSONVILLE, ONSLOW COUNTY – Now that Onslow County voters have elected a new Sheriff, a transition phase will begin.

Republican Hans Miller won the Onslow County Sheriff race with 73% of votes against his Democrat opponent Scott Himes.

Miller will be replacing current Sheriff Ed Brown who has been in office for 24 years.

Newly elected Sheriff Miller will not have a cakewalk transition into the sheriff seat. In fact, there are 115 things that have to be done before he takes that seat on December 1st.

Miller has to complete a checklist is issued by the North Carolina Administrative Code.

He says becoming Sheriff means he will have many constitutional responsibilities. Miller will have to make sure things like evidence are properly safe guarded, that taxpayer funds are being properly used, and that all serialized equipment like firearms are accounted for.

Then Miller will attend a North Carolina Sheriffs Association one week training course in Durham.

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WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – Wilmington’s LINC (Leading into New Communities) organization and Coastal Horizons Center are teaming up to provide a new service to women getting out of jail.

The new program is expected to be funded by a $600,000 federal grant.

The program specifically targets women who are getting out of jail and might need help overcoming drug abuse or a mental illness, according to Dale Willetts, Director of the North Carolina TASC Training Institute at Coastal Horizons.

Willetts said the organizations will now be able to go into the jails and seek out women who may need help. When they get out of jail, the Coastal Horizons Center will be able to help them overcome drug abuse or any mental health disorders. The LINC organization will then give them a place to live and help them find a job.

Willetts said mental health disorders and substance abuse issues can make it very hard for women to get back on their feet after serving time.

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WENTWORTH — Early Tuesday morning, a patrol deputy was in the right place at the right time to thwart disaster.

At about 4:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 28, Patrol Sgt. Jon Peters was responding to a report of a suspicious car in the area of Hunters Glenn Road in Summerfield. When he passed by 173 Hunters Glenn Road, he saw that the house was on fire and sprang into action.

“Sgt. Peters is a hero,” Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said. “I mean, he always does a great job but I believe that this morning, he saved three lives. That’s what it’s all about and I am very proud of him.”

Peters was able to wake the sleeping adult residence of the home and carried a 4-year-old child out of the house to safety himself, according to a news release.

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When Jennifer Talton’s friend posted a link on her Facebook page about a retreat for law enforcement officers in the mountains of North Carolina, Jennifer was immediately intrigued.

“I knew as soon as I read about it that we had to be there,” she said.

Recently, she and her husband, Chuck, and their two boys have faced one storm after another—from finances to relationships to medical emergencies.

“Finances alone can destroy a marriage,” Chuck said. “We probably have five or six issues we’re juggling.”
National Law Enforcement RetreatThe Billy Graham Rapid Response Team’s first National Law Enforcement Retreat took place Oct. 13-15 at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina.
“It’s a miracle from God we’re still married,” Jennifer said. “We’ve had significant marriage issues that we’ve been working on for the past two years.”

Some of those issues are directly related to Chuck’s job. As a police officer, he faces unique stresses and dangers that affect the whole family.

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