Recently we had a chance to sit down and interview several new Decatur County Sheriff’s deputies and detention officers at the Decatur County Jail, who have gone to work for Sheriff Wiley Griffin in recent months. The following is Part 1 of 2; please come back to sowegalive.com tomorrow to read profiles of four additional officers! You can also visit the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office online at decaturso.com
Sheriff’s Deputy Dustin Peak
Dustin Peak, 25, has been working as a Decatur County Sheriff’s Deputy since January 2015. He graduated from Bainbridge High School in 2008 and later obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Valdosta State University.
Before coming to the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office, Peak worked at the Douglas, Ga., Police Department for two years. Peak said he had always had an interest in law enforcement and finally, the opportunity came along when his brother-in-law, Justin Kelly, invited him to come along to Georgia Police Academy.
Peak said he enjoys seeing and meeting a variety of people from different backgrounds through his work.
“There’s never a dull moment in law enforcement,” Peak said. “You could be assisting a motorist one minute and then responding to an emergency the next. I enjoy serving the community and helping people when I can.”
Peak has a wife, Kendyl, and a 1-year-old son, Dallon.
Detention Officer Sherlonda Fields
Sherlonda Fields, 32, is a native of Georgiana, Ala., and graduated from Georgiana High School in 2001. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Central Florida University and later worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Georgiana Health and Rehab.
Fields moved to Bainbridge in October 2014 with her fiance, Derrick Boyge. She began working at the Decatur County Jail in February 2015. She is interested in someday working as a probation officer or a parole officer.
Sherlonda has a 5-year-old daughter, Irayona.
Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Lewis
Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Lewis has been working part-time at the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office since June 2015. Lewis works full-time at the Bainbridge State College Police Department.
Lewis has always had a strong interest in law enforcement and interned at the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office in 2006. After graduating from Bainbridge High School in 2006, Sheriff Wiley Griffin offered Lewis a job working on an support basis, assisting deputies, working at the jail and participating in undercover stings with Sheriff’s Office investigators.
Lewis moved to Washington State for a time before coming back home to Bainbridge, where he was hired as a security guard with Bainbridge State College. When the college created a full-fledged police department, Lewis attended and completed the Georgia Police Academy in 2012. Lewis also previously worked as a part-time officer with the Donalsonville, Ga., police department for 1.5 years.
Lewis holds an associate’s degree from the North Carolina College of Theological and Biblical Studies and is working on his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice online through Liberty University. Lewis, an ordained minister, also helps out with a church in Havana, Fla.
His parents are Kimberly Lewis and Bobby Gaines of Bainbridge.
Detention Officer Canisha Griffin
Canisha Griffin, 27, is a detention officer at the Decatur County Jail. Although her parents are from Bainbridge, Griffin spent most of her childhood in California, eventually graduating from Bainbridge High School in 2005.
Griffin attended Georgia Military College and later joined the U.S. Army National Guard. She has been an active National Guard member for 11 years and works with a chemical/emergency response unit based out of Marietta, Ga.
Griffin’s mother is Decatur-Grady E-911 operator Janice Lewis, who is well-known to local law enforcement through her years of service.
Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Kelly
Justin Kelly, 25, graduated from Bainbridge High School in 2008. He attended Bainbridge College and then graduated from the Georgia Police Academy in Tifton, Ga. in April 2013.
Kelly began his law enforcement career with the Douglas, Ga., Police Department and worked there for two years before coming to the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office in 2015.
Kelly is an active member of the U.S. Marine Corps’ supply unit operating out of Albany, Ga. His parents are Amy Harry and Mark Collins of Bainbridge.
“I have enjoyed serving my community through law enforcement and with the Marine Corps Reserves,” Kelly said.
Detention Officer Andrew Davidson
Andrew Davidson, 24, was hired by the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office in April 2014 but was sidelined after he was in a serious car accident. Kelly returned to the Decatur County Jail in November 2014 and is enjoying getting to know his fellow detention officers, including new ones and veterans alike.
Davidson is an active member of the U.S. Army National Guard in Valdosta, where his unit is in charge of managing shooting ranges.
Davidson graduated from Bainbridge High School in 2009. He holds an associate’s degree from Georgia Military College and obtained a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Florida State University. Davidson plans to enroll in the Georgia Police Academy with a future goal of becoming a Sheriff’s deputy.
Andrew has a wife, Stephanie, and a 3-year-old son, Carson.
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