(11/24/03)Roy Redditt, a widely known law enforcement officer, collapsed and died Sunday, Nov. 23, 2003, in the yard of his Oak Ridge home. He was 55.

The cause of Mr. Redditt’s death, said Warren County Coroner John Thomason, was a heart attack.

Mr. Redditt was born in Warren County and was a graduate of Warren Central High School and of the Mississippi Law Enforcement Training Academy.

He began his career in law enforcement under former Sheriff Paul Barrett.

“I hired him approximately 25 years ago,” Barrett said this morning. “He was as fine a law enforcement officer as I have ever worked with.”

While Barrett was sheriff, Mr. Redditt began as a uniformed deputy in the patrol division before becoming an investigator and later chief of enforcement. He had been a member of the Vicksburg Warren County Metro Narcotics Unit.

Under Sheriff Martin Pace, Mr. Redditt was chief of the uniformed patrol division.

“I have lost a trusted friend and co-worker,” Pace said. “We have worked together for 23 years, through good times and bad and some in between.”

Pace said with Mr. Redditt’s death, the people of Warren County have lost a dedicated public servant.

“He will truly be missed by the men and women of this department, but more especially by the people throughout Warren County,” Pace said.

Mr. Redditt was preceded in death by his mother, Virginia Allison Redditt, and a sister, Martha Ann Redditt.

He is survived by his wife, Dixie Grey Redditt of Vicksburg; a daughter, Rachael Redditt of Vicksburg; a son, Jason Bradley Redditt of Vicksburg; his father, Elbert Redditt Sr. of Oak Ridge and a brother, Elbert Redditt Jr. of Oak Ridge.

Arrangements were incomplete with Fisher Funeral Home in charge.