2005-0089
Title
In Recognition: Deputy Vincent Buchanan, 2004 Deputy of the Year
Body
The Parish of St. Charles
April 4, 2005
IN RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, Deputy Vincent Buchanan is a resident of St. Charles Parish and a member of the St. Charles Sheriff's Office; and,
WHEREAS, Deputy Buchanan is the son of Dr. Robert and Jean Buchanan. He is a graduate of L. W. Higgins High School, and is a nine year Veteran of the United States Navy; and,
WHEREAS, Deputy Buchanan was a Resource Officer for Glynn County School Board in Georgia, has five years of law enforcement experience, and has been with the St. Charles Sheriff's Office for a year and a half; and,
WHEREAS, Deputy Buchanan was running radar on Highway 90 in Luling in October when he spotted a speeding vehicle. After turning his overhead lights on and trying to stop the vehicle the driver began driving erratically and refused to stop. Deputy Buchanan notified headquarters of the pursuit and kept the vehicle in sight. After hitting the median the vehicle started to travel the wrong way on Highway 90 against traffic. Deputy Buchanan drove forward to alert oncoming traffic and forced the vehicle to stop; and,
WHEREAS, once stopped Deputy Buchanan removed the driver from the vehicle and began the usual interview. Deputy Buchanan noticed that things did not look right and persisted in his questioning, learning that the car was stolen from the driver's grandmother; and,
WHEREAS, Deputy Buchanan, played a policeman's hunch, going beyond just issuing a speeding ticket. He ran multiple computer checks and statuses on the vehicle, discovering earlier that day the driver's grandmother had been murdered in Florida and that a missing persons report had been filed on the passenger of the vehicle and that the driver was a person of interest in the murder of his grandmother; and,
WHEREAS, Deputy Buchanan along with his fellow officers began an intense effort to collect evidence, secure the scene, and coordinate with authorities in Jacksonville, Florida. The driver later gave a full confession to the murder of his grandmother and important evidence was recovered from the vehicle; and,
WHEREAS, The commanding officer of the Jacksonville Homicide Unit wrote: "Through the efforts and assistance of your Officers, this case was brought to a suitable conclusion and the citizens of both Louisiana and Florida can now feel safer because a murderer has been removed from their midst."
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT WE, THE MEMBERS OF THE ST. CHARLES PARISH COUNCIL AND THE PARISH PRESIDENT, do hereby offer this tribute and recognition to
DEPUTY VINCENT BUCHANAN
2004 DEPUTY OF THE YEAR
"PARISH OF PLENTY"
created in 1807 from the county of the
"German Coast", a parish of
unprecedented economic and social
development, known for its
hospitality, rural living and sporting
opportunitiesÂ… with the added
distinction of being located
on both sides of the
Mighty Mississippi River.