Cherokee County Officers Honored At Annual Solicitor's Award Banquet

A veteran Cherokee County sheriff's deputy was honored Tuesday night with the annual Solicitor's Award for Law Enforcement Excellence.

Deputy Brian Mullinax, a four year veteran of the Sheriff's office, was honored during the banquet at the Cherokee County Shrine Club for his work during a July 18 incident in which suspected kidnapper Jerry Douglas Case, abducted a father, his daughter and two small children in Gastonia, North Carolina and made the group drive to South Carolina. The kidnapping victims managed to escape at a Cherokee County convenience store and call 911.

Mullinax, his partner, Steve Bright, and reserve deputy Rick Peterson used the department's bloodhound to track Case into a wooded, swampy area near Highway 18 and Interstate 85. Case, whose criminal record included a conviction for second-degree murder, shot at the deputies as they approached and the deputies returned fire and incapacitated him. During the incident, Bright sustained a minor injury.

"The actions of deputies Mullinax and Bright were heroic," said Solicitor Trey Gowdy. "They diffused a dangerous situation in a matter of seconds."

Mullinax was also part of a six-person team of deputies who stopped a man last November who stole a 10-ton front end loader and killed an innocent bystander. He has also a departmental leader in the fight against drunk driving, having recorded more than 30 driving under the influence charges, and has been a multiple winner of the Cherokee County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission's annual award for DUI arrest. He is also a Staff Sergeant with the United States Army National Guard and a member of the CKC volunteer fire department.

Mullinax was just one of seven officers honored at the banquet.

Cherokee County Sheriff's officers Steve Bright, John Boyd and Gerald Spencer, Heath White of the South Carolina Highway Patrol and Jeff Sizemore of the Gaffney Police Department were recognized for their hard wortk and dedication, while South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Agent Darrell Betsill also received a career service award for his many efforts to support local law enforcement.

Gowdy said that the decision to honor just one member of the county's local law enforcement was a tough one for committee members.

"Our police committee had a difficult decision this year in light of recent community events," he said. "We had many deserving officers."

The banquet was made possible thanks to donations from many individuals and local businesses, with whom Gowdy described as generous.

"I appreciate the community's willingness to support such a worthy cause," he said. "Police officers and their families richly deserve a night of rest and relaxation for the many sacrifices they make to keep the community safe."