Lenoir County breaks ground on Deep Run Sheriff’s Annex

DEEP RUN — Lenoir County officials broke ground Wednesday morning on a new sheriff’s annex intended to improve law enforcement response times and expand access to public safety services in southern Lenoir County.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held Aug. 5 at the Deep Run EMS Station, located at 1891 Liddell Road. County officials, law enforcement officers, emergency responders and community members attended the event.

County Manager Michael James said the project resulted from collaboration among the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Services, the Deep Run Volunteer Fire Department and the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners.

“This sheriff brought this idea to me and the board, and we kind of worked through some options,” James said. “I think this is going to be a great partnership for Deep Run and the southern part of Lenoir County.”

James said commissioners have spent considerable time discussing how the county can direct resources toward public safety and improve services for residents.

“I think this is a good example of those ideas coming together, putting together some tax dollars to benefit this community and reinvesting in public safety,” James said.

Lenoir County Board of Commissioners Chair Linda Rouse Sutton said the project has personal significance because she grew up near Deep Run.

“This is very exciting, especially for me,” Sutton said. “A lot of you don’t realize that my old stomping grounds are right here in Deep Run. I was raised just a little way down the road.”

Sutton said residents of rural communities understand the importance of having emergency services located closer to them.

“If you don’t live in a rural neighborhood, you don’t understand how important response times can be and what it means to the citizens who are here,” Sutton said. “It gives them more of an opportunity to be better served, and that is what we always want to do for our citizens.”

Sheriff Jackie Rogers said the Sheriff’s Office has historically lacked a strong presence in the southern portion of the county, even as the area has continued to grow.

“I grew up on the south side,” Rogers said. “I’ve watched the Sheriff’s Office throughout the years, and we’ve never had good representation down in the southern part of the county.”

Rogers thanked the Deep Run Volunteer Fire Department for assisting with the land arrangements and credited the Board of Commissioners and county staff with moving the project forward.

“Deep Run is growing,” Rogers said. “The southern portion is getting a bunch of houses.”

Commissioner J. Mac Daughety described the annex as a “game changer” for residents in the Deep Run and Pink Hill areas.

Daughety said concerns about law enforcement response times in southern Lenoir County were among the first issues raised with him after he joined the Board of Commissioners 16 years ago. He said discussions continued over the years and gained momentum after Rogers became sheriff.

“We, as the commission, said we’re going to do something, and we wanted the county to own it so we could maintain it,” Daughety said. “That’s how we ended up getting to this point.”

In addition to reducing response times, Daughety said the annex is expected to allow the Sheriff’s Office to provide services locally, reducing the need for residents to travel to Kinston.

“This will be a game changer from the response-time standpoint, but the sheriff is also going to have services that can be handled through this office as well and save residents long trips in and out,” Daughety said.

Officials concluded the ceremony by turning ceremonial shovels of dirt at the annex site.