State Legislature honors local officers injured in line of duty

Published 12:27 pm Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye  On Monday, Carter County Sheriff's Office Deputy Jenna Markland and Elizabethton Police Department Capt. Jerry Bradley were honored for their "courage in the face of danger" by the Tennessee Legislature. They are shown here with their fellow officers along with State Sen. Rusty Crowe and State Rep. John Holsclaw Jr.

Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye
On Monday, Carter County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jenna Markland and Elizabethton Police Department Capt. Jerry Bradley were honored for their “courage in the face of danger” by the Tennessee Legislature. They are shown here with their fellow officers along with State Sen. Rusty Crowe and State Rep. John Holsclaw Jr.

As reports grow of law enforcement officers being injured or killed in the line of duty, two local police officers were honored by the Tennessee Legislature for their “unwavering courage in the face of danger.”
On Monday morning, Carter County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jenna Markland and Elizabethton Police Department Capt. Jerry Bradley were presented with joint proclamations issued by the Tennessee Senate and Tennessee House of Representative honoring them for their service. Both Markland and Bradley have been injured in the line of duty during the past year.
In a small ceremony held Monday morning, State Sen. Rusty Crowe and State Rep. John Holsclaw Jr. thanked both Markland and Bradley for their service to not only their local community but to the state as well.
On Dec. 16, 2015, Markland was shot twice in the head as she responded to a call in the Stoney Creek community.
“Luckily neither of those shots were fatal,” Crowe said.
In that incident, a man later identified as Kelly Pitts allegedly opened fire on Markland, Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford, CCSO Sgt. David Caldwell, CCSO Deputy Jason Mosier and three civilians. In addition to the injuries suffered by Markland, one of the civilians was struck in the hand by a bullet. For a time, the officers were pinned down behind their vehicles as Pitts allegedly fired numerous rounds from an AK-47 assault rifle and an SKS rifle. TBI investigators said 52 spent shell casings were recovered in the room from where Pitts allegedly fired at the officers.
“Deputy Jenna Markland displayed great courage in the midst of a shootout,” Crowe said. “In the face of certain danger, Deputy Jenna Markland never wavered from her duty to protect her fellow officers or the citizens of this county.”
On February 19, Bradley was on duty and was attempting to serve out-of-state and federal arrest warrants on a wanted suspect identified as Curtis James Dugger. Officers received information that Dugger was in the Southside community and responded to that area in an attempt to take him into custody.
Bradley located Dugger in a wooded area and gunfire was exchanged between the officer and the suspect. Bradley was injured and Dugger was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Capt. Jerry Bradley sustained multiple wounds during a shootout with an armed suspect,” Holsclaw said, adding Bradley suffered two gunshot wounds. “In the face of danger, Capt. Jerry Bradley never wavered from his duty to apprehend a dangerous suspect.”
While honoring the local officers, both Crowe and Holsclaw also addressed the recent incidents of violence involving police officers — both when the officer shoots a suspect and when the officer is the one who is shot.
“What’s going on today is just ridiculous,” Crowe said, adding he felt the national media is partly to blame for the increase in the number of officers injured in the line of duty. “When you try to say the perpetrator is a victim then something is very wrong.”
Holsclaw echoed the sentiment voiced by Crowe.
“The media out there always portrays the negative but what we need to do is project respect for these guys,” Holsclaw said. “I’m sick of ‘Black Lives Matter.’ All lives matter, I don’t care what color your skin is.”
“We need to respect these guys who put their lives on the line every day,” he added, pointing to Markland and Bradley as examples of officers being injured. “They put their lives on the line every day. We’re not safe from that even here.”

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