Randy Garrett was nothing if not a "cop's cop," according to one of his former deputies.
"This man right here, he looked out for you no matter what and loved Clarendon County and his deputies more than anyone I've ever (come) across," wrote Brandon Braxton on social media.
Randolph Lee "Randy" Garrett Jr., former sheriff of Clarendon County and police chief of Manning, died Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018, at McLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, surrounded by family of blood and blue.
"Sheriff Garrett put a lot of bad guys in jail as they attempted to traffic contraband through Clarendon on Interstate 95, and I was his biggest fan as I was coming up on patrol watching his videos and begging him to tell me stories about the good ole days," Braxton said.
Garrett likely had plenty of stories too tell, having worked in law enforcement for more than 40 years.
Born in Holly Hill, Garrett always eyed a career in law enforcement, even as a child.
"I was always fascinated by law enforcement," Garrett told The Manning Times in 2017. "When I was 20, I started as a dispatcher with the Gaffney Police Department. By 21, I was a full-time officer, and that was like a dream come true."
He first came to Clarendon County in the early 1970s as a patrol officer with the Summerton Police Department. He would later join the Manning Police Department for four years before switching to the Clarendon County Sheriff's Office for 12 more.
In 1998, he was appointed to serve as Manning Police chief, working in that capacity until 2009, when he was sworn-in for his first of two terms as sheriff of Clarendon County. He Tim effectively retired in January 2017 when he handed over the reins of the sheriff's office to Tim Baxley.
"I couldn't say anything about my career if I didn't thank the people who supported me," Garrett said in 2017. "I've had the opportunity to work with some fine law enforcement officers in 42 years, and success only came from us working together."
Garrett said shortly before he left office that he was proud to have increased drug enforcement on Interstate 95 and to have improved response times by his deputies. The latter he accomplished by assigning deputies to patrol zones.
"We'd have that specific zone, and that's what that deputy would work," Garrett said. "This was instead of the old way of having any deputy respond to an incident, and you'd have someone flying from Manning to Turbeville or vice-versa. With patrol zones, the deputies were already there in a sense."
Braxton said that, even though Garrett held the top law enforcement job in the county, he wasn't content to sit back and let his deputies do all the heavy lifting.
"When we caught (a smuggler) and radioed it in, it wouldn't be 15 minutes you would hear him on the radio (saying he was going out there)," Braxton said. "That was the kind of boss he was: He wanted to be right up in the mix and would be grinning from ear to ear when he pulled up."
Sean Briley also worked under Garrett, whom he called "one of the best law enforcement officers this state has seen."
"He was even kind of famous within law enforcement from all of the chases he led, which were shown on 'World’s Wildest Police Videos,'" Briley said. "He loved law enforcement and the people who worked under him. He loved to help people and give second chances. He loved his community and the people he served."
One of those he served as longtime friend Vicki Lea Parnell. He became even more entwined in Parnell's life after her two sons, Cody and Jessi, were killed in October 2010 in a vehicle wreck on Old Georgetown Road.
"He went above and beyond to lift us up and help us move forward in the immediate days before and after their funeral," said Parnell, who called Garrett "extended family, more than a friend."
"He never forgot their birthdays or that Oct. 3 date when our world was turned upside down," Parnell said. "He would send two officers to the homecoming site for each of those days each year. He wanted us to be safe as we gathered out there."
Parnell said that Garrett had already had an influence on her family before the wreck.
"Randy helped Cody a few times stay out of trouble," said Parnell. "He loved my boys and my boys respected him. He treated them with respect and made them feel safe, as he did with our whole community."
Clarendon County Council Chairman Dwight Stewart said there were no more dedicated public servants than Garrett.
"He spent his entire life in public service in law enforcement," said Stewart. "He dealt with many changes throughout his 42-year career. He worked hard for the citizens of Clarendon County and worked well with other agencies in fighting crime. We appreciate all his hard work throughout the years, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Braxton said that, along with being one of the top law enforcement officers in the state, Garrett was also a family man, first and foremost.
"He loved his children, grandchildren and family so much," Garett said. "When times became tough with his family, eh put his family and police work over politics. After his wife passed, he was never the same again. He missed her like crazy."
Elizabeth Briley said that Garrett always put family first.
"As the wife of a law enforcement officer, there's not anything you want more than for your husband to come home safe," she said. "During the eight years that Sean served as a deputy for Sheriff Garrett, I never once doubted that, due to his level of personal experience and equal compassion and dedication, he knew what to do to keep our community safe and to bring our law enforcement officers home safely to us."
Briley said she watched Garrett work "around the clock" on various cases, high profile and minor.
"I watched him go without insulin shots because he was on a call and the community's need came first," Briley said. "I watched him love and take care of Mrs. Barbara til the moment she died, without one time neglecting the needs of our county."
Former deputy Jonathan Coker said Garrett was "a friend to so many."
"He lived his life serving others," Coker said. "I remember the day my dad passed away; Randy Garrett was the first to meet me at the hospital."
Sen. Kevin Johnson agreed that Garrett was one of the finest law enforcement officers South Carolina ever had. Johnson worked with Garrett while the former was mayor of Manning and the latter was police chief.
"This is a huge loss for our community," said Johnson. "Randy was a professional law enforcement officer, and I was happy tp play a role in hiring (him) as the chief of police for the city of Manning. He did so much for so many. Randy and I were best of friends and we referred to each other as brothers."
Manning Mayor Julia Nelson called Garrett a "gentle giant, who had a heart for all people."
"His contributions to mankind as a public servant and as a friend are immeasurable. He will be missed."
Elizabeth Briley said Garrett was gentle, humble, loving, generous, quiet and funny.
"He was not perfect, but none of us are," she said. "He was the epitome of grace. I can honestly say that in knowing him for more than 30 years, I never once heard him say anything unkind about anyone. He just wasn't like that."
Survivors include three daughters, Lamonda Sweat of Manning, Christina Garrett of Florence and Brittney Garrett of Summerville; two grandchildren, Dori Sweat and Jake Sweat; two brothers, Adam Carroll of Eutawville and Randy Lee Garrett III (Melissa) of Holly Hill; a sister, Jo Ann Buchanan (Charles) of Bakersville, North Carolina; and a stepmother, Betty Garrett of Holly Hill.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, at Weldon Auditorium, with the Rev. Jessie Brock officiating. Burial will follow in Clarendon Memorial Gardens.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, at Stephens Funeral Home, and other times at the home, 2193 Lake Shore Drive in Manning.
Memorials may be made to The Inv. Holmes N. Smith, Jr. Foundation Inc., www.sites.google.com/view/invhnsmithfoundation.
