LONG NAMED SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Award presented by The Carolina Scoop, Court Street Grille

By Elizbeth Mayhew

LINCOLNTON -- Lincoln County Sheriff's deputy Dennis Long thought he was going to the tag office with Sheriff Tim Daugherty and Captain Howard Eason. Little did Deputy Long know he was going to make history.

Long was named the first Lincoln County Sheriff's Department Employee of the Month by The Carolina Scoop publisher Jon Mayhew and Lincoln County Sheriff Tim Daugherty.

In selecting Long for the first award, Daugherty said his dedication as a deputy helped county investigators crack a series of methamphetamine labs in a short amount of time.

"Deputy Long helped us find four meth labs in one day," said Daugherty in joining Mayhew in presenting Long with the award.

Specifically, Long discovered a meth lab in a mobile home on Underwood Lane in western Lincoln County earlier this year.

He was serving eviction papers on the resident. And while inside the residence, he noticed a jar containing a milky liquid.

"The tenant told me it was dish detergent," said Long at the scene of the meth lab bust. "I didn't think that was right."

The resident left, and as Long was leaving that day, he discovered the eqiupment in the trailer to make meth. The suspect was detained and charged after briefly trying to escape Long.

In presenting the award to Long, Mayhew said Long's quick-thinking saved a good many lives.

"Without thought of his own safety, Deputy Long put himself in harm's way by being so close to something so dangerous," said Mayhew. "I was impressed that even after that big find, Deputy Long was able to talk about the experience matter-of-factly."

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Department Employee of the Month is sponsored by The Carolina Scoop and Court Street Grille, located across from the west side of the Court Square in downtown Lincolnton. Long received a certificate and a gift certificate to Court Street in the amount of $25.

Usually not at a loss for words according to colleagues and friends, Long paused after receiving the award.

"I don't know what to say," said Long. "I'm speechless."