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Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Kevin G. Ellis received the Solicitor's Award in Spartanburg County Tuesday night. Solicitor Barry Barnette presented the award to Ellis.
Ellis was recognized for his success Tuesday night when he was named the 2013 winner of the Solicitor’s Award for Spartanburg County Law Enforcement Excellence. The prize package includes a weekend stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Myrtle Beach and a free BMW for a weekend. Ellis will also have his name added to a plaque that hangs in the lobby of the Spartanburg County Solicitor’s Office.
A committee of police officers from city, county and state agencies nominated and named the winner. The finalists for the award – Dan Swad of the Sheriff’s Office, John “Dale” Owens of the Sheriff’s Office, Dana Dillard of the Spartanburg Public Safety Department and Sonja Degraffinreid of the Spartanburg Public Safety Department were recognized at the dinner.
Ellis, a Gaffney native and a graduate of Clemson University, consistently leads his peers in their monthly activity reports. Year to date in 2013, Ellis investigated nearly 250 traffic collisions and wrote 1,700 traffic citations along with more than 1,000 written warnings. Ellis has also issued nearly 1,000 seatbelt violations and he arrested more than two dozen people on drunk driving charges.
“Our community’s traffic statistics are improving and I think Trooper Ellis and his law enforcement peers deserve a lot of the credit,” Solicitor Barry Barnette said. “They are making a difference their diligent enforcement of our state’s traffic laws.”
Barnette also presented two other awards of note.
Gail Moffitt, deputy clerk of court, received the Bill Barnet Service Above Self Award. Moffitt was recognized for her 45 years of service to the local criminal justice system.
Sheriff’s Deputy Bill Meyer was recognized for his continued efforts to help prosecutors identify repeat offenders people arrested on General Sessions Bench Warrants when they are booked into jail.
“I appreciate the community’s willingness to support such a worthy cause,” Barnette said. “Police officers and their families richly deserve a night of rest and relaxation for the many sacrifices they make to keep us safe.”