Today, we remember Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Phillip Michael Deese, Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Sergeant Howard H. Franklin, and Georgetown Police Department Major Cecil Spencer Guerry.
On this date in 2007, Deputy Phillip Michael Deese was killed in a head-on traffic collision. He was driving westbound on I-26 in an unincorporated part of Dorchester County when a pick-up truck crossed the median, hitting the deputy’s patrol car head-on. The crash killed the deputy, the driver of the pick-up, and Deputy Deese’s K9 partner, Sonja.
On this date in 1917, Sergeant Howard Franklin was shot and killed as he attempted to arrest an escapee wanted for breaking into a residence. The suspect escaped from the jail, stealing two pistols in the process. Sergeant Franklin located the suspect the following morning. As he attempted to arrest the man, he was shot in the chest. He was taken to a hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, by train, where he died on the operating table later in the day.
On this date in 1994, Major Cecil Guerry succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained two days earlier while making a traffic stop. The suspect was arrested approximately two hours after the shooting. He was convicted of murder, sentenced to death, and subsequently executed on March 19th, 2004.
