Five officers take 200 impaired drivers off road
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com

Cherokee County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse honored on Wednesday the local police officers who have made the biggest impacts in removing drunk drivers from the streets in the past year. The five officers honored this year combined to remove at least 200 drunk drivers from the streets. This year's recipients of the annual honors are, from left, Lance Corporal S. D. Poole, South Carolina Highway Patrol; Geraldine Gash, accepting on behalf of her son, Patrolman Jonathan Gash, Blacksburg Police Department; Sergeant Todd Parker and Deputy Brian Mullinax, Cherokee County Sheriff's Office; and Patrolman First Class Mike Scruggs, Gaffney Police Department.

They might not have wings but Rev. Corky Spitler of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Gaffney considers police officers angels on earth.

Roughly 20 years ago, a car he and his wife were in was nearly clipped by a drunk driver. It took only seconds for the potential tragedy to unfold in his car's mirror, yet he carries with him the memories to this day. "I thought what I was seeing was the death of my wife in front of my eyes," he told a gathering of law enforcement officials.

Rev. Spitler joined with the Cherokee County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse on Wednesday in honoring the law enforcement personnel from local police departments and barracks who made the biggest impacts in stopping drunk or impaired drivers by getting them off the streets.

Combined, the five local police officers selected for honors this year removed at least 200 drunk or impaired drivers from the roadways of Cherokee County and surrounding areas.

Lance Cpl. S.D. Poole of the South Carolina Highway Patrol has already accounted for 77 DUI arrests this year, said SCHP Lt. W.J. McKinney, who presented Poole with the award from the Drug and Alcohol Commission.

In the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, two officers were tied for the highest number of DUI arrests within their department, leading to honors for both Sgt. Todd Parker and Deputy Brian Mullinax.

Sheriff Bill Blanton said both officers had made 36 DUI arrests this year, at least as of three or four weeks ago when his department began reviewing arrest records. Both men now have more than 40 arrests for the year. "That's very exceptional for these guys," the sheriff said. "Because they answer every kind of call imaginable."

The Gaffney Police Department's top officer for DUI arrests was Patrolman First Class Mike Scruggs. Police Chief John O'Donald said Scruggs has not only been making a big impact in DUI arrests but also in cracking down on speeders within the city limits. "We're proud of him," the chief said.

Patrolman Jonathan Gash, who was unable to attend the award ceremony because of an illness, was honored for being the top officer for DUI arrests within the Blacksburg Police Department this year.

Lt. Zeb Starnes, of the Blacksburg Police Department, presented the award to Gash's mother, Geraldine.

"The purpose of the awards is to recognize the hard work and effort of law enforcement officers, especially in the area of DUI arrests because it's such a serious issues," said Robert Strait Jr., treatment director at the Cherokee County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

Not only are the police officers protecting the community and its citizens, Strait said, they also are protecting the drunk drivers.

"There are people in our agency who were glad they were arrested," Strait said.

Drunk drivers need to complete an Alcohol and Drug Safety Action Program if they want to get their licenses back after a DUI arrest. The Cherokee County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, which runs the action program for this county, generally sees about 200 to 300 people go through the program each year.