June 21, 2007 |
CATAWBA COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS MEMORIAL DEDICATED |
Speakers at the event included Darrell Jernigan, Director of the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program and Kitty Barnes, chair of the Catawba County Board of Commissioners. In his remarks, Mr. Jernigan paid tribute to those who have given their lives in the line of duty, noting the nine Charleston, South Carolina firefighters who died earlier that week, and thanked all who dedicate their lives to public safety. He noted that Catawba County is the first county in North Carolina to dedicate a memorial that honors the memory of those who gave their lives in all four major branches of public safety work. The officers honored on the memorial at its dedication include: Deputy James Alvin McRee Deputy McRee died in an automobile accident that occurred while he and three other deputies were racing to a home, with the intent to serve warrants on a suspect in a hit-and-run case. Investigators had received a tip that the suspect was in a home in the Plateau community but, if they did not get there quickly, the opportunity to arrest the suspect would be lost. The patrol car overturned on the way to the residence and rolled down an embankment. Mr. McRee was killed in the accident. He is survived by family members living in California. Assistant Chief Paul E. Mackie Date of Death: June 30, 1965 Mr. Mackie was a long time resident of the Bandys area and assistant chief of the Bandys Volunteer Fire Department. He stopped at a log barn fire and called in volunteers to assist with the blaze. Mr. Mackie began to feel ill during the fire and died a short time later at his home, as a result of exposure to hazardous chemicals. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Ruth M. Mackie, who represented the family at the dedication, and by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren Firefighter Craig W. Drum Firefighter Craig Drum was one of the volunteers called in by Mr. Mackie to help battle the log barn fire on the evening of June 30, 1965. Mr. Drum also got sick the night of the fire. He died 21 days after the fire from exposure to hazardous chemicals. He is survived by his daughter, Tammy Fletcher, who represented the family at the dedication. Deputy John O. Yount On October 1, 1967, Deputy Yount and his partner had just arrested an individual. As they were en route to the County Jail with the prisioner , Deputy Yount suddenly stopped the patrol car he was driving and slumped over. He was taken to then Catawba Memorial Hospital where he later died as the result of a heart attack. He is survived by his son, Mr. Albert Yount, who represented the family at the memorial dedication. Officer Jerald W. Maynor Officer Maynor was shot and killed in a training accident on August 9, 1977. While training with other officers, one of his fellow officers accidently dropped his service weapon and it discharged, striking Officer Maynor. He is survived by his widow, Sharon Maynor and children. In April 2006, the Catawba County Board of Commissioners was approached regarding a memorial for peace officers. A committee was established representing local law enforcement (both police and sheriff), fire, emergency medical service and rescue to discuss a memorial, draft guidelines for the memorial, and select an appropriate location for it.
At its meeting on May 7, 2007, the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the location for the memorial in front of the Justice Center and the following criteria for inclusion on the memorial: For the purpose of this Memorial, "public safety officer" means an individual involved in law enforcement, fire, emergency medical service or rescue, who is directly employed on a full-time or part-time basis; or a volunteer, acting on behalf of a local city or county agency in Catawba County, North Carolina, with or without compensation. "Line of duty" means any action, which an officer is obligated or authorized by law, rule, regulation, written condition of employment service to perform, or for which the officer is compensated by the public agency he or she serves. The term "dies in the line of duty" means a public safety officer has died as a direct and proximate result of a personal injury sustained in the line of duty. This includes public safety officers who, while in an off-duty capacity, are actually en route to or from a specific emergency or responding to a particular request for assistance. Not included in the definition of “dies in the line of duty” are deaths attributed to natural causes, except when the medical condition arises out of physical exertion, while on duty, that is required by law or condition of employment. Committee members have reviewed a list of individuals who passed away while in the various services and found that the five persons profiled above met the criteria for inclusion on the memorial. The cost of the memorial will be borne by Catawba County and participating cities. Donations from other organizations or individuals would be accepted to defray the cost of upkeep and maintenance. Checks may be made payable to Catawba County, PO Box 389, Newton, NC 28658. For more information on the Catawba County Public Safety Officers Memorial, you may call the Catawba County Managers Office at 828-465-8201.
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A new Catawba County Public Safety Officers Memorial, which honors law enforcement, fire, emergency medical service and rescue personnel who gave their lives in the line of duty, was officially dedicated at ceremonies on June 21, 2007. The memorial is located on the grassy strip that supports the flags and flagpoles in front the Catawba County Justice Center in Newton.