Commissioner : Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

Daniel Lyle Wilkes and Peter Morris awarded

FORSYTH, Ga. -- On December 7, Special Agents Daniel Lyle Wilkes and Peter Morris were honored with the Governor’s Public Safety Award for an Act of Heroism. The Governor’s Public Safety Awards is an annual event that recognizes the courageous efforts of Georgia’s public safety community, and Agents Wilkes and Morris were among those recognized by Governor Nathan Deal.

Wilkes and Morris were recognized for their bravery displayed during an operation where their fellow commarade lost his life. Wilkes and Morris, who are both assigned to the United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force (SERTF), were involved in an operation aimed at apprehending Dontrell Montese Carter, who was wanted by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for multiple counts of Attempted Murder of Police Officers. During the attempt to apprehend Carter, he opened fire and mortally wounded Carothers. Both Willkes and Morris, without hesitation, aided their team members in the rescue and treatment of Carothers.

“It is the ultimate sacrifice to risk your life to save another’s and that is what Agents Wilkes and Morris did, even in the line of fire,” said Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier. “A sacrifice like that deserves one of the highest honors the state of Georgia can present, an award from Governor Deal, and many thanks for what they do to keep us all safe everyday.”

The SERFTF became fully active in September of 2003 and operates out of offices in Atlanta, Savannah, and Macon, Georgia. The team is becoming well recognized as the “one-stop shop” for fugitive investigations in the state of Georgia.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5248 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.

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