Warren County Sheriff Officer assist Lincoln County

Published 10:02 am Friday, June 2, 2017

While deputies and employees with Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were mourning one of their own, deputies from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office were watching over their county.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace, Lt. Billy Heggins and six other deputies handled patrol duties in the county, and Vicksburg-Warren 911 deputy director Shane Garrard and two dispatchers helped with communications, while Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing, his deputies and others, including law enforcement officers from across the U.S., attended the funeral of deputy William Durr, 36.

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Durr was shot to death Saturday when he responded to a domestic violence call in Bogue Chitto.

“I volunteered to help Lincoln County to provide support so Sheriff Rushing and his staff could attend the funeral,” Pace said, adding the move did not affect service in Warren County because the deputies working in Lincoln County were off-duty deputies who gave of their time.

“We volunteered to assist Adams County when their sheriff died several years ago.”

He said he and the deputies were sworn in as county deputies and worked with three Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents to patrol the county. He said Thursday his deputies were joined by some deputies from Copiah County.

“We began last night (Wednesday), and then came back today,” he said Thursday evening. “The three state officers knew the area well, and they rode with three of my deputies as they patrolled the county. The rest of us used our mapping apps to get around.”

Other than the funeral, Pace said, the county stayed quiet.

“The only thing we had was one misdemeanor arrest,” he said. “We were relieved at 6 (p.m. Thursday),” he said. “When the Lincoln County Sheriff’s night shift came on we left.”

About John Surratt

John Surratt is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in general studies. He has worked as an editor, reporter and photographer for newspapers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post staff since 2011 and covers city government. He and his wife attend St. Paul Catholic Church and he is a member of the Port City Kiwanis Club.

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