WALHALLA — Two Oconee County Sheriff’s Office Road Patrol deputies received two awards recently, including the Sheriff’s Office Life Savers Award, for their search and eventual location of a Seneca woman who had been trapped for eight hours due to a wreck.

Deputies Justin Pelfrey and Rashad Crooks also received a reward from the Keowee Fire Department that was presented at the ceremony by Keowee Fire Chief Richie Caudill.

During the late evening hours of June 30, Pelfrey and Crooks responded to a missing person call. They spoke with a man who said his wife left around 4 p.m. to go shopping but he had not heard from her and was unable to contact her. The deputies obtained pertinent information and an alert was issued to surrounding agencies.

Pelfrey and Crooks searched for several hours by foot and by patrol car. After several attempts to ping the victim’s phone to find her location, deputies confirmed the victim’s phone was on Katelynn Lane just off the roadway.

Based on that information, Pelfrey and Crooks located the vehicle in the early morning hours of July 1 down a steep embankment and noticed movement inside. Paramedics and fire fighters responded and the woman was airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital.

She spent a few weeks in the hospital and continues to recover from injuries.

“Deputies Pelfrey and Crooks showed tremendous professionalism and commitment to try to locate the victim of the accident and save the patient’s life,” Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said. “The awards they received were greatly deserved. The deputies and dispatchers who also worked that night demonstrated great team work as they answered calls and responded to incidents while deputies Pelfrey and Crooks continued their search.

“For the family involved, I am thankful that we were able to find their loved one and wish for the patient’s continued healing,” Crenshaw said.

Deputy Justin Pelfrey, left, and Deputy Rashad Crooks, right, received two awards recently, including the Sheriff’s Office Life Savers Award, for their search and eventual location of a Seneca resident who had been trapped for eight hours due to an auto accident. They are shown with Sgt. Malcom Purdessy and their awards.
http://pickenssentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_ocsoheroawards.jpgDeputy Justin Pelfrey, left, and Deputy Rashad Crooks, right, received two awards recently, including the Sheriff’s Office Life Savers Award, for their search and eventual location of a Seneca resident who had been trapped for eight hours due to an auto accident. They are shown with Sgt. Malcom Purdessy and their awards. Courtesy photo

Staff Report