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Winner, Robert Crosby, Jr. and former Attorney General Charlie Condon
(Photo Courtesy of the Department of Natural Resources) |
On April 11, 2002, former Attorney General Charlie Condon announced that four South Carolina law enforcement officers had been chosen to receive awards for outstanding service.
At a ceremony held in the Attorney General's office, Buck Sgt. Robert Crosby, Jr. of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources was named South Carolina Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Crosby—a husband, father, and grandfather—is known for his skill as an investigator. In two cases, he recognized that deaths reported as accidents were in fact homicides. One involved the shooting of a hunter and the other a boat fatality. In both instances, the incidents might have been ruled accidental had not Sgt. Crosby's keen eye seen beyond the superficial aspects of the case. Both killers were convicted and are now serving life sentences.
Sgt. Crosby has also represented the Department by presenting courses in safety to schools, churches, libraries, the Boy Scouts, Ducks Unlimited, and other organizations. He is active in his church and in civic organizations.
Others who received Law Enforcement Officer of the Year awards were:
- Lt. Roosevelt Nelson, Jr. of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, who was named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for the Pee Dee Region. Lt. Nelson is known for his church and youth work as well as for his dedication to duty as supervisor of the Traffic Enforcement Division. He has been described as the perfect role model for younger officers and for the young people in his area.
- Private 1st Class Kristie D. Fisher of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, who was named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for the Piedmont Region. Pfc. Fisher is known for investigation of cases involving violation of fish and game laws and hunting accidents. She once pursued a stolen Abbeville police car from Greenwood to Spartanburg, where the thief wrecked the vehicle. The chase was aired on Fox-TV's Scariest Police Videos.
- Lance Corporal John Dale Owens of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety was named Officer of the Year for the Midlands Region. Owens was responsible for three major drug busts last year, including two that made national headlines. The drug seizures were among the largest in the history of the Highway Patrol and the nation. The street value of all Owens' drug seizures in 2000 was $47 million.
At the ceremony, the Attorney General also thanked the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce for its work in choosing the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce for enabling the winners to take an all-expenses-paid vacation to "the Family Fun Capital of the East Coast." He also thanked the Ducane Company for donating their top of the line gas grill to each winner and Blue Cross-Blue Shield for their participation.
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