Mothers Against Drunk Driving recently honored the Cheatham County’s Sheriff’s Office and 23rd Judicial District for their work at combating drunk and drugged driving. During M.A.D.D. Tennessee’s statewide “Night of Remembrance” on Dec. 12, Sheriff Mike Breedlove, Chief Deputy Tim Binkley, Deputy Josh Marriott, and 23rd Judicial District Attorney General Ray Crouch, Jr., were recognized for their efforts.
Breedlove received the Middle Tennessee Outstanding Service honor. He said he and his team were recognized for doing the most in training to detect drivers under the influence, as well as using speaking engagements and other communication channels to get the word out about the dangers of drunk driving. “We’re ecstatic about this honor. We’re doing our best to help keep everyone safe,” he said.
Marriott received the First Responders Award for arriving on the scene of an incident involving an impaired, armed driver. The honor is particularly poignant for Marriott, whose mother, Phaedra Marriott Olsen, was hit by a drunk driver and paralyzed in the 1990s. Olsen currently serves as M.A.D.D. Tennessee’s State Program Director.
Crouch, honored with the Tennessee Excellence Award for District Attorney, said as Attorney General of the five counties in the 23rd District, “a top priority is the strict enforcement of impaired driving laws, the support of victims and their families, and programming designed to educate and detour impaired driving.”
He and his team have prosecuted hundreds of impaired driving cases each year, and unfortunately, many of those are also vehicular homicides. “When impaired drivers cause the death of another, we seek the maximum prison sentence. Vehicular homicides are senseless and 100% preventable,” he said.
