WATKINSVILLE, Ga. — Several law enforcement agencies are saying a heartfelt and sudden goodbye after the death of a local sheriff's office sergeant whose heart for service spanned many years in his military and law enforcement careers.
The Oconee County Sheriff's Office said on Saturday that Sgt. Carter Brank died earlier in the day of an apparent heart attack. Authorities in Oglethorpe County said he was spending time with friends and mountain biking there when he suffered a medical emergency and was unable to be resuscitated.
Over the years, Brank had served his community and country in many ways according to the Oconee County Sheriff's Office. Among them were service in the U.S. Navy, 30 years of service with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and as a deputy sheriff n South Carolina - all before he came to work in Oconee County.
"Members of the Sheriff's Office will be gathering this evening in the Sheriff's Office parking lot," the sheriff's office said. "We ask that you all give us this evening to be with each other as much as we can be."
They also parked his car in what they called "Carter's Corner" so members of the community could pay tribute at a later time. Information on funeral arrangements were not yet available.
The sheriff's office concluded their message asking for prayers for Brank's family and a heartfelt message to their sergeant: "Godspeed, 3202"
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