Deputy Justin Stokes an honored graduate

Oconee deputy sheriff Justin Stokes (center) has graduated from the state Criminal Justice Academy and its basic law enforcement program, and he did it with special honor. Stokes was awarded the J.P. Strom Award, given to the graduate who achieves the highest overall academic average after the successful completion of all performance tests. Stokes shared the award with officer and fellow graduate Heather Champagne of the Forest Acres Police Department. The award was named for the late J.P. Strom, a long-time director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. Stokes graduated from Seneca High School in 2008 and was hired by the Sheriff’s Office as a Detention Officer on February 15th, 2015. He graduated from the basic detention center program in 2015 and moved from the Detention Center to begin the process of becoming a sheriff’s deputy. Including Stokes, there are five J.P. Strom Award winners currently employed by the Oconee Sheriff’s Office. The other four are Chief Deputy Kevin Davis, Lt. Chuck Giordano, Sgt. Jay Freeman, and Deputy II Garrett Bare.