By Heather Michon, Correspondent
On the night of April 29, 2017, the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office responded to calls of an armed man firing into a neighboring home in a small cul-de-sac near Scottsville.
Seven long hours later, Fluvanna deputies and the Virginia State Police were able to place Joe Kain Roach, Jr. under arrest without further injury.
It was an extraordinary night for the department, and on June 12, the community met to honor the professionalism and bravery of the men and women who helped bring the volatile standoff to a peaceful end.
More than 40 people, including Virginia State Senator Mark Peake, Commonwealth’s Attorney Jeff Haislip, and Deputy Secretary of Public Safety (and former Fluvanna County Sheriff) Ryant Washington, assembled at Calvary Chapel to watch deputies and staff receive their awards.
Supervisor Jo Schull and dispatchers Logan Fielding and Kimberly Constantino received plaques for excellence in communication.
Sgt. Stephen Proffitt, Sgt. Curtis Brandon, Deputy Tyler Thornton, Deputy Paul Sheridan, and Scottsville Police Officer John Layman each received a Medal of Valor.
The event was organized by Lt. Sean Peterson, who served as team leader that night. Peterson, along with Proffitt, found himself in Roach’s gunsight as they approached the suspect’s home that night.
In his remarks, Peterson vividly recalled Roach yelling: “If you come any closer, I will kill you.”
In that moment, Peterson said, they were faced with the choice “to take a life or not,” but ultimately made “the correct choice not to shoot,” choosing instead to give Roach the chance to, eventually, surrender.
On a night when his team had to place their personal safety on the line and faced a high probability of things going wrong, the officers functioned seamlessly as a team to bring the event to a close.
In an email, Peterson said he had seen “the uncommon valor and bravery in our deputies and officers that night. To honor them for going above and beyond was not a thought to me, but a must.”
He began formulating plans for the event shortly after it happened, but was deployed to Afghanistan and had to put it aside until he returned in January. “Sheriff Hess, Capt. [David] Wells and Capt. [Von] Hill supported it 100 percent, so I put it all in motion.”
FCSO Chaplin Frank Signoretti assisted with the planning and Calvary Chapel and the Dogwood Restaurant donated the venue and funding, while the local VFW supplied an honor guard.
A 22-year veteran of the military, Peterson said he had helped plan over 200 ceremonies and had a clear vision of what he wanted the event to look like. “I like a good presentation and felt these law enforcement officers and dispatchers deserved the best!”
In his remarks, his pride in his team was clear.
“Teamwork is a constant,” he said. “Teamwork is what allowed us to work together so successfully that night.”
