ROCKINGHAM — Several employees of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office — from patrol to the jail to administration — were honored Friday for their years of service to the agency.
Sheriff James Clemmons, who has been with the office for 31 years, handed out the longevity certificates upstairs in the old courthouse.
“These officers that you see in this room today represent that longevity,” he said.
The following employees received certificates:
Five Years
Marcus Brown
Evan Carville
Robbie Hudson
Nick Pope
Carl Outen
Melissa Wall*
10 years
Dennis Smith
Howard Miller Jr.*
15 years
P.T. Dawkins
Travis Bohman
Dave Calvert
Steve Newton
20 years
Nancy Grant
Jeffrey Starling*
25 years
Barbara Clark
33 years
Lynn McKinnon
(*Was not in attendance.)
Clemmons gave a short introduction for each recipient and described the deputies and other employees as being dependable.
He also confessed a secret, joking that the statute of limitations had run out, regarding McKinnon’s employment.
At the time she was hired — at the age of 18 — there was a policy that employees had to be at least 21.
“(Former Sheriff) Raymond Goodman knew that … but they knew that this young lady was so valuable and would be such a great asset to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office that they brought her in,” Clemmons said. “And she has prospered well in the sheriff’s office, she’s grown in the sheriff’s office; she’s an extremely valuable commodity here, as all of you are …”
