Deputy graduates from academy

Oconee deputy sheriff Jamie Hellams graduated last week from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and is ready to join the county’s road patrol on its Bravo shift. Hellams is a 2006 graduate of Walhalla High School and holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Tri-County Technical College. He worked in private business and for Oconee County at the Rock Crusher for eight months before being hired by the Sheriff’s Office.