Thursday night at the Charles H. Morris Center in downtown Savannah, a crowd of over 200 joined the Two Hundred Club of the Coastal Empire in honoring 10 first responders at the 2017 Valor Awards.

The first responders recognized were as follows: Tactical Medic Frank Pilcher, Southside Fire Department; DUSM Robert Charles Doherty, U.S. Marshals Service; Deputy Sheriff Walter John Kent with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, Special Deputy U.S. Marshal; Special Agent Peter Alan Morris with the Georgia Department of Corrections, Special Deputy U.S. Marshal; Criminal Investigator John Geoffrey Rohrs with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Special Deputy U.S. Marshal; Deputy Sheriff Franklin Roosevelt Rollins Jr. with the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, Special Deputy U.S. Marshal; Criminal Investigator Shane Derek Sasser with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Special Deputy U.S. Marshal; SDUSM Ramiro Suarez, U.S. Marshals Service; DUSM James Fitzhugh Turner, U.S. Marshals Service; and Special Agent Daniel Lyle Wilkes with the Georgia Department of Corrections, Special Deputy U.S. Marshal.

Each year, the Two Hundred Club of the Coastal Empire honors first responders from the 20 counties they serve within Georgia and South Carolina who have exhibited valor during the performance of their duties. The Valor Awards are presented to law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel who acted with abundant strength of mind and spirit when confronted with extreme danger, knowing their personal health and well-being were in jeopardy.

Pilcher’s award stems from his involvement in an incident on Feb. 10. Deputies from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department attempted to serve a criminal warrant for stalking a domestic violence victim at a residence on Leah Drive. The suspect engaged the deputies with a high-powered long rifle at close range, injuring one of the deputies then barricading himself inside his home. Several other officers from various agencies were also pinned down by gunfire from the suspect, who had multiple guns in his barricaded home.

Shortly after the standoff began, Savannah Chatham Metropolitan Police Department SWAT and negotiators were called to assist with the situation. After a rapid response, an Officer Rescue Operation was conducted. SWAT operators and Southside Fire Department Tactical Medic Frank Pilcher drove directly into the line of fire to rescue two pinned-down deputies. Smoke grenades were deployed to conceal the movement and the deputies were successfully rescued. The suspect surrendered peacefully to police after four hours of negotiations. Pilcher demonstrated bravery and devotion to public safety in this tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situation, according to Southside Fire Department CEO Conrad T. Kearns, who nominated Pilcher.

The remaining honorees were recognized for their involvement in an incident that unfolded Nov. 18, 2016 in Allenhurst, Georgia. Members of the United States Marshals Services Southern District of Georgia and members of the United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force were working to locate and arrest Dontrell Montese Carter. Carter was wanted by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office for multiple counts of attempted murder of a police officer. The warrants were related to a vehicle pursuit that occurred Sept. 18, 2016.  During that incident, Carter sprayed at officers with an assault rifle.

Early that morning, members of the task force traveled to Allenhust, GA to attempt to locate and arrest Carter. The team, was composed of Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force Chief Inspector Patrick Thomas Carothers, Suarez, Doherty, Turner, Morris, Rohrs, Wilkes, Sasser, Rollins, and Kent.     

Morris talked to a confidential source who lived near the trailer the suspect was thought to be staying in. The source identified the renter from a photograph and told Morris that the car parked outside the home belonged to the renter; however she didn’t recognize a second vehicle outside the residence. The warrant was based on the fact that the suspect, Carter, had been identified through the investigation as being physically located at the target address.

Around 8 a.m. that morning, the renter of the trailer returned, was interviewed by Morris, and gave consent to search his rented trailer. The renter, who said he hadn’t been home for two days, wasn’t certain whether anyone was in his trailer but thought perhaps his brother was inside.

The task force team utilized two ballistic shields, divided into two teams and entered the trailer. After one team cleared the rear of the home, and the other team took position to clear the front. After a man, later identified as the renter’s brother, and a female friend came out of a front bedroom, Carothers and Doherty asked whether anyone else was in the trailer. The woman said she didn’t know, and the man remained silent. Authorities took the pair outside.

As Carothers and Doherty proceeded down the hall to clear the rest of the trailer, Carter opened fire on Carothers, striking him several times. Doherty, Carothers and Rollins immediately returned fire, striking Carter multiple times. Kent, the team’s tactical medic, retrieved Carothers, who had two wounds above his vest line. He’d been struck in the arm and in his body armor, near his spleen. Carothers was transported to Liberty Regional Medical Center in Hinesville, where he passed away.

Carter died on the way to a Savannah hospital.

“Tonight was very special not only to the first responders who were honored but also to everyone present,” Two Hundred Club Board President Mark Dana said. “The Valor Awards aim to recognize the extreme bravery and selflessness these first responders have demonstrated while serving our community. It was obvious tonight by the crowd how grateful the Savannah community is for these first responders.”