To Protect and Serve

Applause erupted from the Putnam County Board of Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning as six public safety employees were recognized for their heroic actions and service to residents. 

Emergency Services officials honored Joshua Florence, a Melrose Fire Department volunteer firefighter, for winning the statewide award of Volunteer Firefighter of the Year. 

J.R. Grimes, the county’s executive director of public safety, said department members nominated Florence for statewide recognition due to his work improving the community. 

Grimes said Florence started a water rescue team in Melrose, fixed the department’s siren and “was instrumental” in starting the town’s paramedicine program in 2019.

Florence was honored for the state award earlier this year but was presented with a plaque from county personnel Tuesday. 

“Thanks for the opportunities. I’ve had a lot of opportunities presented in the eight years I’ve been here, met a lot of good people and had a whole bunch of people supporting me from the back,” Florence said. “So, I couldn’t have done this without them, and I appreciate it.”

Grimes also made a plaque to recognize employee Robert Peacock for 21 years of service, but he did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. Grimes said the longtime employee did not want the recognition. 

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office continued celebrating county public safety employees by honoring four of its own. 

Sheriff Gator DeLoach and Col. Joe Wells presented Cpl. Threasa Owens and Lt. Randy Hayes with the Sheriff’s Commendation Award for their work during dangerous domestic violence incidents. 

In June, deputies reported to a scene where a suspect threatened to shoot his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend. Wells said Owens saw the suspect tuck a firearm under his shirt and hop in his vehicle, fleeing the scene. 

He said Owens pursued the suspect’s vehicle, which eventually crashed near County Road 308.

“While Sgt. Michael Wells provided cover, Cpl. Owens climbed in the still-occupied vehicle to secure a firearm,” Wells said. 

The deputies removed the suspect from the vehicle. They recovered a loaded shotgun in the vehicle and a loaded pistol from the suspect’s pants. 

“Had Cpl. Owens not arrived when she did, it is highly likely that the suspect would have seriously injured his ex-girlfriend and her current boyfriend,” Col. Wells said. 

In June, Hayes responded to an emergency call where a victim’s father held her at gunpoint and took her cellphone so she could not call for help, Wells said. The victim was able to text a friend secretly who called the sheriff’s office. 

“The deputies were able to quickly surround the victim, protecting her, and escorted her to safety. Simultaneously, the suspect, (who) was still armed, yelled, ‘There’s no fixing this,’ and retreated into the residence while armed,” according to Wells. 

Hayes was part of the team that negotiated with and calmed the suspect to the point where the man came out of the house peacefully and surrendered his weapon. 

Sheriff’s office deputies Phillip John and David Fiske received Sheriff’s Achievement Medals on Tuesday after paying close attention to detail and solving ongoing investigations. 

Wells said John correctly identified a vehicle used in two robberies, one in the sheriff’s office’s jurisdiction and the other in the Palatka Police Department’s jurisdiction.

“Because of Deputy John’s attention to detail, dedication to the safety of our residents, this pattern of armed robbery in these two businesses and the city of Palatka and the county was resolved with the arrest of the suspect in multiple cases,” Wells said. 

The sheriff’s office recognized Fiske for closing an investigation related to two runaway teenagers. 

Wells said a parent of one of the teenage girls showed Fiske a picture of her daughter during a follow-up investigation. On Oct. 1, the deputy saw a suspicious vehicle and looked inside just as the driver started to pull away. 

Fiske recognized one of the missing girls from the photo he had seen earlier. 

“Deputy Fiske was able to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle and located two missing girls, who were ages 15 and 16,” Wells said. “Deputy Fiske then discovered that the adult male driver was a registered sex offender for previous sex crimes on children of this age.”

Because of Fiske’s efforts, Wells said, the two girls were reunited with their families and kept safe from a potentially dangerous situation. 

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