As the Town of Lexington’s Snowball Festival officially kicks off the holiday season and we start to think about heading to Cedar Ridge to pick up a tree, we’re pausing for a moment to celebrate the hard work of all the team members here at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. 

We are so thankful for their dedication to both the community and one another. They pull together as a family to bring our community values to life and to fulfill our mission of making Lexington County a safer place and a closer community. 

It’s been a year of many achievements for the team, and no – we’re not just talking about Sheriff Koon bringing home the one and only Golden Peanut from the Third Annual South Carolina State Fair Celebrity Boiled Peanut Eating Contest! 

In 2022, the efforts of an incredible 37 members of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department team have been recognized through promotion as these high-flyers continue to progress their careers with us. 

We talked to a few of our deputies about their year and journey, and you’ll also find a full list of all the department promotions below. If you’re inspired by their stories and want to find out more about building your own career with us, take a look at our vacancies page.  

Congratulations and thank you to all of them for their service from Sheriff Koon, their co-workers, and all the citizens of Lexington County.

A double promotion for the Department’s ultimate multitasker 

Kalie Natale promoted to Resident Deputy – Dixiana. Then promoted to Master Deputy – Patrol

How do you lasso a cow without a rope? Just ask Deputy Natale! From turning crime scene tape into a makeshift lasso to contain an escaped cow in Swansea to juggling the night shift with being a fulltime criminal justice student, Deputy Natale is on-the-go 24/7. 

Having started out in the National Guard as a military police soldier, Natale brings a can-do attitude to any wild situation she finds herself in. 

Luckily for us, Natale feels right at home here in Lexington. “Getting out of my hometown is the best thing that I ever did,” she says reflecting on leaving Ohio. 

Lexington is her new home and the Department have become like family to her. “We’re here more than we are home,” she says, so it’s really easy to make friends and just make your own family here”.

Finding his confidence and a vocation 

Josh Boozer promoted to Resident Deputy – Gilbert

Feeling stuck as an electrical engineering major who didn’t like math, Josh Boozer’s sister suggested he take some criminal justice courses. One of his instructors was Capt. Jesse Laintz who convinced Boozer to start his career at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

“I think I’m kind of a timid person,” Boozer said, reflecting on how he’s changed since joining the department in 2020, “I’m much more open now, much more confident”. 

He might be celebrating being promoted to resident deputy this year, but the team’s approachability has helped Boozer build his confidence and look ahead to the next steps in his law enforcement career. 

Talking about Sheriff Koon and the command staff, he says “I’m not afraid to go talk to them or approach them, and they make a point to come and talk to you as well…It’s really cool to be able to have that relationship with the upper echelon of the agency.”

The “little sister” that’s never to be underestimated 

Hannah Joslin promoted to Investigator – CSI

With a mom who worked for an attorney and a state trooper as a dad, Hannah Joslin had been inspired to pursue a career in law enforcement since she was a kid. 

Despite her background, some doubted it would be the right fit: “There’s a stereotype of only men can be in law enforcement or taller women,” she explains “and I don’t fit that stereotype.”

“A lot of people like to underestimate me just because I am small,” she continues, “and I’m a person that likes to prove people wrong, so that’s pretty much what I did”. 

Her West Region colleagues welcomed her with open arms. “They’re all like big brothers to me… I’m like the annoying little sister they never wanted, but they got anyways”, she jokes talking warmly of her “second family”. 

Congratulations and thank you for your service to all of our valued team members who were promoted in 2022:

1. Shannon Lovell promoted to Sergeant – Community Services
2. Kaaren Miller promoted to Sergeant – Training
3. Bryan Sharpe promoted to Sergeant – Patrol
4. Casey Betts promoted to Master Deputy – Patrol
5. Alexander Rosado promoted to Master Deputy – Patrol
6. Christopher Threatt promoted to Master Deputy – Patrol 
7. Jason Burbage promoted to Investigator – Property Crimes
8. Jonathan Jeffcoat promoted to Investigator – Property Crimes
9. Dane Walker promoted to Sergeant – Patrol
10. Adrian Zona promoted to Master Deputy – Patrol 
11. Daniel Brown promoted to Resident Deputy – Boiling Springs 
12. Kalie Natale promoted to Resident Deputy – Dixiana. Then promoted to Master Deputy – Patrol. 
13. Josh Vicari promoted to Resident Deputy – Red Bank
14. Joe Hart promoted to Sergeant – Major Crimes Unit 
15. Bryan Senn promoted to Investigator – Major Crimes Unit 
16. Mitchell Labesky promoted to Master Deputy – Patrol
17. Reinaldo Chacon promoted to School Resource Officer. 
18. Martin Kaminski promoted to Senior Deputy – Traffic
19. Josh Bice promoted to Senior Investigator – Major Crimes Unit 
20. Nick McMillan promoted to Senior Investigator
21. Austin Sanner promoted to Senior Investigator
22. Everette Smith promoted to Senior Investigator 
23. Brannon Marthers promoted to Sergeant – Intel
24. Vickie Bookman promoted to Senior Detention Deputy
25. Troy Hall promoted to Senior Detention Deputy
26. Nick Huffstetler promoted to Sergeant – Patrol
27. Mark Moore promoted to Investigator – Property Crimes
28. Jeterika Porter promoted to Master Deputy – Patrol
29. Stefan Sharpe promoted to Sergeant – Patrol
30. Thomas Smith promoted to Senior Investigator – CSI
31. Walker Spires promoted to Assistant Manager – HQ Front Desk
32. Jacob Caraway promoted to Senior Deputy – K9
33. Greg Love promoted to Master Deputy – K9
34. Josh Boozer promoted to Resident Deputy – Gilbert
35. Hannah Joslin promoted to Investigator – CSI
36. Lori Hayes promoted to project coordinator – HR
37. James Westbury promoted to sergeant – Major Crimes Unit
38. David Hellman promoted to Master Deputy – Civil Process
39. Nic Ferrara promoted to Accounting Clerk II (Finance)
40. Austin Sanders has been promoted to Resident Deputy – Three Fountains
41. Taylor Sebben has been promoted to Resident Deputy – Dixiana
42. Andrew Harmon has been promoted to Resident Deputy – Boiling Springs
43. Terrell Huffaker has been promoted to Investigator – CSI
44. Stephanie Cobb has been promoted to Senior Investigator – Major Crimes Unit

No two days are the same at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and that’s especially true for Lieutenant Paula Hare. 

A valued member of the team since 2004, for many inmates Lt. Hare is the face of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. 

Hare knows our department and the inmates like the back of her hand. As the person who oversees all inmate records, she’s the go-to person for subpoenas. But that’s not the only hat she wears. 

From making sure inmates in the detention center are accurately classified by factors such as charges, weight, height and medical conditions as a classifications manager to investigating inmate concerns as inmate grievance coordinator, she contributes to the team in many different ways. 

“It is very rewarding,” Hare said. “It gives you a sense of nobility to know that you were able to assist someone. Once they get out, they can use that in the community.”

Starting out as an officer, Hare worked her way up to administrative sergeant followed by her current role as administrative lieutenant. Also a certified corrections supervisor, it’s Hare’s blend of hands-on experience and administrative attention to detail that make her such an invaluable member of the team. 

Over her 18 years with the department, she’s been a source of information and support for inmates feeling overwhelmed by the legal process ahead of them. 

A firm believer in an open-minded approach, Hare says of the inmates: “I’m not here to judge them, nor am I here to be their jury. I’m here to assist them along the legal system, with getting to court, and understanding their charges.”

It’s a mindset that’s just as much an asset to her co-workers as it is to the inmates, and you’ll often find her continuing to lead and support her team even when she’s off duty.

“Being a supervisor isn’t just telling someone when, what, and how to do something,” Hare explains. 

Recalling an incident when one of her officers had an issue with their teenage son at home and needed help she reflected that “it’s being there for your people, getting in the trenches and showing them that you care.”

This family-like atmosphere within the team here at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is what Lt. Hare says makes her job so worthwhile. 

“If you think about it, we are here with one another more so than we are even home”, Hare says, thinking about the hours the team put in to make the department such an asset to the local community. “We are here with one another all the time,” she continues, “so we have to be like family and we really are like a family.”

It’s a family that’s always expanding. If you share Lt. Hare’s open-minded approach and can-do attitude, check out our vacancies page to find your perfect role with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.  

On Saturday, Dec. 17, SROs and resident deputies will be heading out into the community with a very different brief and a shopping list in their hand for the annual Shop With a Cop event. 

In partnership with the Red Bank Wal-Mart in Lexington County, our deputies are teaming up with a local children’s shelter to bring some much-needed holiday cheer to the kids in their care. 

Enabled by generous donations from the local community, the officers each partner up with a child to  help them pick out things they want and need from the superstore’s aisles. 

Not only is it an opportunity to pick up some essentials and create smiles with new toys, it helps challenge stereotypes, build understanding and create positive relationships between young citizens and local law enforcement. 

“It gives us an opportunity to interact with these children on a personal level and help them understand that we’re human just like they are,” explains Deputy Joel Cooper who took part in last year’s Shop with a Cop. 

After a hard morning’s shopping, the kids will have the chance to sit down and enjoy some snacks with our deputy team. Better hope there’s milk and cookies as rumor has it there may even be a very special guest taking a break from his holiday preparations to stop by and say hi.  

It might be holiday shopping but the sense of community and connection the Shop with a Cop event creates lasts well beyond Christmas. 

“It’s really special to be chosen by a kid”, says Capt. Jenn Burns looking back to last year’s event. “A lot of the time you’ll connect with your kid, and you know what school they go to so there’s a chance to follow up with them”. 

To help spread as much festive cheer as possible to underprivileged local kids this holiday season, our Community Action Team have a number of upcoming fundraising activities, and we’re so thankful for the open hearts and generous donations from the Lexington County community that help make this important initiative possible. 

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on the Shop with a Cop event as we see which of our deputies is really cut out to be a personal shopper! 

Think you’d be great at building mutual trust and understanding within our community? From spots in our Community Action Team to the vital administrative staff that keep our department moving, we welcome applications from everyone who shares our values and is interested in a rewarding career in law enforcement. Take a look at our current vacancies, and we look forward to hearing from you.