ROCKINGHAM — Pending the passage of the state budget, Richmond County’s late sheriff will be memorialized on a local bridge.
The overpass on U.S. 1, where it crosses over the U.S. 74 Bypass, is to be named the Sheriff James E. Clemmons, Jr. Bridge, according to section 41.43 of the budget.
Clemmons was hired as a patrol deputy in 1989 and was promoted to sergeant and assigned to the detective division in 1991. He was promoted to lieutenant and captain, respectively, in 1997 and 1998 and rose to the rank of major in 2002. Clemmons also served as commander of the Special Response Team.
Clemmons was first elected to the office in 2010 and won every subsequent reelection.
He was the first African American to attain the rank of major in the RCSO and serve as the elected sheriff.
Clemmons, in recent years, had been appointed to several state and national committees.
In 2019, he was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice.
Clemmons was also appointed to the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. He served as president of the N.C. Sheriff’s Association from July 2018-July 2019 and was chairman of the organization’s executive committee; and he had been on the N.C. Sentencing Commission since 2011.
He passed away at his home Aug. 5, 2021.
State Sen. Tom McInnis, R-Moore, said he was “proud and humbled” to sponsor the legislation.
“It is my desire that he will always be remembered for his leadership in our county, his dedication to the principles of law enforcement and his love of all mankind,” McInnis said. “I look forward to the day when we can all gather together to formally dedicate this bridge to my dear friend ‘Clem.’”
State Rep. Ben Moss, R-Richmond, told the RO, “I can’t think of another person more deserving.”
“He always displayed true character and leadership. He truly was a great representative for our county and will forever be missed,” Moss said. “I was honored to call him my friend and miss the conversations we had.”
Mark Gulledge, who served as Clemmons’ chief deputy, was selected to fill out the remainder of the term and was sworn in Aug. 28.
“I am excited and delighted to hear the bridge will be named in memory of Sheriff James. E Clemmons Jr.,” Gulledge said in a statement Wednesday.
“It is something his family can cherish for generations, knowing and understanding that he was not just the sheriff, but someone who was loved and will be missed dearly,” Gulledge continued. “It will also serve as an everlasting memory to our community members for the services and sacrifices he made through acts of kindness.
Gulledge added that naming the bridge after Clemmons “symbolizes what his character and purpose of life stood for in Richmond County. He was a bridge builder in our community that brought people together.”
"I would like to personally thank Senator Tom McInnis and Representative Ben Moss for making this special memorial bridge become a reality,” Gulledge added. “In addition, I would like to thank his family and friends who worked behind the scenes for their support of this memorial.”
The budget also includes renaming bridges in honor of law enforcement officers in Bladen, Cabarrus and Wayne counties.
After making its way through the General Assembly, the budget is expected to make it to the governor’s desk as early as Friday, and Cooper has said it would sign it.
Several bridges and sections of road in Richmond County already bear the names of prominent law enforcement officers and politicians.
In 2019, the Millstone Road overpass bridge, which crosses over Interstate 73/74, was renamed for the late Col. Jack Cardwell, of the N.C. State Highway Patrol, who once called Ellerbe home.
The previous year, through the urging of the Mineral Springs Improvement Council, a bridge on Green Lake Road was named after former N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry Frye, an Ellerbe native.
Others include:
