Officers, Employees, and Community Members Honored for Completion of Service, Excellent Field Work, and Bravery
Sheriff Troy Berry and Retirees Mr. Steve Folkee, M/Sgt. Staffon Bond, M/Sgt. John Shoemaker, Deputy Director Deborah Dofflemyer, Ms. Karen Robertson, M/Cpl. John Freeman, M/Cpl. Gary Owen, M/Sgt. David Hill, Lt. Brian Herlihy, M/Cpl. Richard Burket, Lt. Jason Stoddard, and Captain Richard “R.J.” Williams
Charles County Sheriff Troy D. Berry honored 25 retirees and 65 award recipients at a banquet at the Waldorf Jaycees Community Center on Friday, November 2. Honorees were recognized for completion of service to the Agency, excellent field work, or acts of bravery. Retired Captain William Saunders served as the Master of Ceremonies. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard presented Colors; Mrs. Jennifer Voorhaar sang the National Anthem; Chaplain Aaron Jones delivered the invocation; and Chaplain Larry Palmer delivered the benediction. “Combined, our retirees provided 593 years of service to Charles County! That’s a lot of years, and each and every retiree will surely be missed,” said Sheriff Berry. “To those receiving awards, thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty, for saving lives, and for your superior service.”
The following retirees were honored (listed with dates of service):
- Master Corporal Margaret Kelley (January 16, 1996 – October 27, 2017)
- Dale Overstreet (December 17, 2012 – December 17, 2017)
- Corporal Jeremy Hebb (December 22, 1997 – December 22, 2017)
- Master Corporal Richard Burket (December 21, 1987 – December 31, 2017)
- Ricky Nichols (January 24, 2000 – January 5, 2018)
- David Proctor, Sr. (May 7, 2012 – January 8, 2018)
- Christina Eaton (February 26, 1990 – January 25, 2018)
- Karen Robertson (August 2, 1999 – March 16, 2018)
- Master Corporal Gary Owen (January 27, 1997 – March 16, 2018)
- Captain Richard “R.J.” Williams (April 1, 1988 – May 31, 2018)
- Corporal Sean Brown (September 30, 1994 – July 20, 2018)
- Master Corporal Mark Davidson (April 22, 1996 – July 20, 2018)
- Master Corporal John Freeman (October 6, 1997 – July 20, 2018)
- Lieutenant Jason Stoddard (January 12, 1998 – July 20, 2018)
- Steve Folkee (December 3, 2001 – July 20, 2018)
- Lieutenant Marvin Butler (January 4, 1988 – July 31, 2018)
- Lieutenant Brian Herlihy (June 22, 1987 – July 31, 2018)
- Deputy Director Deborah Dofflemyer (March 3, 1986 – July 31, 2018)
- Lieutenant Karl Hense (April 1, 1988 – August 1, 2018)
- Myrna Wolcott (December 8, 1997 – August 1, 2018)
- Master Sergeant David Hill (August 3, 1987 – August 3, 2018)
- Becky Zis (August 16, 1993 – August 31, 2018)
- Master Sergeant John Shoemaker (January 9, 1995 – September 1, 2018)
- Master Sergeant Staffon Bond (November 3, 1986 – September 28, 2018)
- Sergeant Benjamin Barker (August 31, 1998 – September 28, 2018)
Our highest honor, the Medal of Valor, was presented to three officers.
Bronze Medal of Valor: M/CPL John Freeman, PFC Michael Wagner, and PFC Michael Beall
On February 21, 2018, Sergeant Mujahid Ramzziddin of the Prince George’s County Police Department was shot and killed in Brandywine, MD, while taking police action off duty during a domestic dispute in his neighborhood. After the shooting, the suspect fled in a black SUV toward Charles County, prompting the dispatch of a lookout for the vehicle to Charles County Sheriff’s patrol officers. PFC Wagner and PFC Beall, who were on a traffic assignment, heard the lookout and responded to the area of Berry Road and Bensville Road to monitor traffic in case the suspect took that route. Soon after, both officers observed the suspect vehicle traveling west on Berry Road, at which time they began following the vehicle with M/CPL Freeman joining them. A chase ensued, with the suspect vehicle running red lights and reaching speeds of over 90 miles per hour. Officers followed the suspect into Prince George’s County. Due to a road block set up by PGPD officers on Indian Head Highway at Old Fort Road, the suspect bailed out of his vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. While the suspect engaged in a gun battle with PGPD officers, M/CPL Freeman, PFC Wagner, and PFC Beall kept their attention on the suspect vehicle, clearing it with no other occupants located. The lone suspect died as a result of the wounds he received in the shootout.
The actions of these officers directly contributed to the capture of the killer of a police officer from a neighboring jurisdiction. For their bravery and situational awareness, putting their own lives in danger to capture a killer, the Bronze Medal of Valor was presented to M/CPL John Freeman, PFC Michael Wagner, and PFC Michael Beall.
The following individuals received Meritorious Service Awards:
- Sergeant Kyle Evans, Corporal Paul Morgan, PFC Larry Blake, PFC Kevin Makle, and Officer Richard Pickeral, for their selfless attempt to protect life and subdue an armed suspect.
- Mr. Guy Yesse, for his courage to intervene to protect a victim and stop a violent attack and robbery in progress.
- PFC Dale Harrison, for quickly assessing a dynamic situation and successfully disarming a subject who was threatening passengers on a bus, thus ensuring the safety of the bus driver and passengers.
- PFC Andrew Bringley, for his quick response and decision-making, which stopped a violent attack and saved the life of a victim of domestic violence.
The following individuals received Lifesaving Awards:
- Sergeant Harry Ivers, PFC John Campbell, and Mr. Thomas Raleigh, for their great teamwork and heroic actions in rescuing a stranded boater whose kayak had capsized.
- Corporal Paul Morgan, PFC Nina Garner, Officer Richard Pickeral, and Officer Robert Ondrish, for providing lifesaving care to the victim of a shooting.
- Corporal Jamie Vines and Corporal Jessica Minor, for their outstanding response during an attempted suicide.
- Corporal Charles Caldwell, for his quick thinking and fast and effective deployment of a tourniquet on a motorcycle crash victim.
- Mr. Dean Fischer, Mr. Sheldon Moten, and Mr. Clifton Thomas, for pulling a woman to safety when she fell through the ice on a creek.
- PFC Christopher Gustafson and Officer Thomas Rickard, for their quick thinking and action in treating the victim of an attempted suicide.
- PFC Andrew Fenlon, for his selflessness and putting his own health at risk to donate a kidney to help his friend and fellow officer.
The following individuals received Sheriff’s Awards:
- Deputy Director Robert Studds, Captain Gerald Duffield, Lieutenant Brian Gardiner, and Lieutenant Matthew Irby, for their commitment, creativity, and teamwork in coming up with a new badge for the Corrections Division.
- Captain David Kelly, for his dedication to duty and for establishing a drone program that has produced great results for the Agency.
- Lieutenant John Ashley Burroughs, PFC Patricia Adams, and Mrs. Lydia Oliver, for their commitment to the HOPE Trailer project and for the extraordinary partnership between the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and members of the community in this effort. Certificates of Appreciation were also presented to Parents Affected By Addiction members Amy Jo Young, Kerrie Grant, Susan Wilson, Marnie Grove, and Dawn Howdyshell as well as community members Mr. Joseph Abdalla, Mr. Tony Adams, Mr. Alan Badeaux, Mrs. Florence Dement, Mr. Brian Grove, Mr. Pete Peno, and Mrs. Lee Peno.
- Lieutenant Matthew Irby, for his innovative thinking and leadership in developing a mentoring program for new Correctional Officers.
- Corporal Kristen Gross, for her commitment to seeing justice for a family and her selflessness in helping them through trying financial times.
- Mrs. Diane Richardson, Mrs. Janelle Love, and Ms. Michelle Hurst, for their work in strengthening the relationship between the Agency and our community in a variety of ways.
- PFC Dennis Sauve, for his innovative approach and commitment to taking guns out of the hands of violent criminals.
- Corporal Michael Smith, for his good work in organizing the Detention Center’s Re-Entry Fair and commitment to the Agency and our community.
- Mrs. Julie Barrows, for her commitment to the Agency and its employees, and for her exceptional efforts in planning the Retirement and Awards Banquet.
The following individuals received Certificates of Commendation:
- Lieutenant Jason Carlson and Lieutenant Scott Grove, for their dedication to helping victims of domestic violence and for ensuring factual information was being released to the pubic following a horrific spate of domestic-related murders.
- Sergeant Dustin Hendricks and CO2 Trey Brown, for their action in ensuring the safety of a mentally ill inmate.
- Mr. Michael Kent Heiser, for intervening in an incident to protect a sworn officer from assault and possible injury.
- Corporal Paul Anderson and PFC Bryan Keys, for their attention to duty and going above normal police responsibilities to ensure the safety and welfare of a citizen.
- CFC Jason Johnson, for his initiative and actions in ensuring the safety of employees and inmates when he learned of a possible weapon inside a cell.
- PCS Mindy Millar, for her dedication to duty and for her diligence in identifying an out-of-state sex offender residing in Charles County.
- CFC Gary Owen, Jr., for his attention to detail and his effort to protect life when he noticed something that indicated an inmate may attempt suicide.
