Good Cops
The Lee County Sheriff announced the officers and civilians who made outstanding contributions to the public in August. The winners were:
Deputy of the Month - Sgt. Thomas D. Tucker (Delta District)
On Monday, Aug. 16, the Lee County Sheriff's Office received a call about a shooting. When deputies arrived, they approached the residence in a tactical, cautious manner. The suspect was believed to be inside the home, intoxicated and armed with a gun. Tucker made his way to the rear of the residence and heard yelling coming from inside. He looked inside and saw what appeared to be blood on the floor. Fearing there could be a victim inside, Tucker decided to enter the home through the rear patio. He was immediately confronted by the suspect, who was aiming an assault rifle in his direction. Tucker fired his handgun, striking the suspect and causing him to drop his weapon.
The suspect was then secured and transported to a local hospital with non life threatening injuries. He now faces felony charges for the incident.
The swift action of Sergeant Tucker showed courage, pride in duty, and true protection of life. His actions aided in removing a violent felon from our streets.
Corrections Officer of the Month - Deputy Theodore A. Brawdy
While Deputy Brawdy was conducting inmate searches in the maximum security area of the correctional facility, he encountered a pair of sneakers that had the insole removed and could potentially be used to conceal contraband. The inmate that owned the sneakers had been arrested for drug possession. The sneakers could have been used to smuggle drugs into the jail. Thanks to Deputy Brawdy's diligence, this incident serves as a training reminder in preventing the introduction of contraband into our jail facilities.
Civilian of the Month - Patricia A. Lynch
Financial assistant Patricia Lynch started her career with the Lee County Sheriff's Office in 1994 and worked part time with both Human Resources and Finance. A few years later she became a full time employee. Now, after thirteen years as one of our agency's most dedicated employees, Pat has decided to retire. During her time with the agency, her line of work and behind the scenes responsibilities has had an impact on thousands of employees. Her hard work will be missed by all of us, and we are proud to select her as the "Civilian of the Month" for August, 2007.
Corrections Civilians of the Month - Deanna L. Gradl-Saxon and Amber Kay Graham
On Aug. 11, Clerk Saxon was preparing to capture a photo image of property belonging to inmates. While doing this, she noticed an American Express card with another person's name on it. Realizing this, she notified the Intake Deputy, who in turn brought the credit card to the Clerical Shift Supervisor, Amber Graham.
Supervisor Graham took the liberty to investigate further, contacting American Express. She was informed that the card had been reported stolen.
Thanks to the initiative of Clerk Gradl- Saxon and Supervisor Graham, the individual who was in possession of the stolen card could now face additional charges.
Volunteer of the Month - Hank Torti
Torti has been a very active member of the LCSO V.O.I.C.E. program since 2001. Since then, he has volunteered more than 500 hours to both Charlie District and Headquarters, and 84 hours this month alone. He is also involved in many aspects of the V.O.I.C.E. program, goes out on patrol, works Times Square on Fort Myers Beach, and volunteers twice a week in the Latents Division.
