ABBEVILLE, Ga. — Wilcox County is mourning the death of its sheriff, Robert Rodgers. He died Tuesday afternoon in a car accident while responding to a domestic call.
Following the announcement of his death, law enforcement from all over Central Georgia gathered at the Wilcox County Sheriff's Office. The atmosphere was quiet but somber.
Just a few miles away, on Highway 233 near Matthews Road, it was quiet too. That's where the Georgia State Patrol says Sheriff Rodgers lost control of his car around 4 p.m. Tuesday.
"Just a terrible tragedy. This whole county's going to mourn a long time over this," said Lenny Brown, who was friends with Rodgers.
Brown drove by the scene around 7:40 p.m. He just spoke with Rodgers last week.
"Best sheriff you could ask for. He helped everybody. He helped people that weren't even from here," Brown said.
Sheriff Rodgers even helped Brown's son get into the military.
"[I] had a letter of recommendation. Robert wrote him one. I still have the letter at the house," Brown said.
He says Rodgers was a special kind of person who just wanted the best for his community. He says Wilcox County will miss Sheriff Rodgers deeply.
"He always helped me and everybody else, you know," Brown said.
Brown says he's going to remember Sheriff Rodgers as someone who was there for anyone at any time, whenever they needed him. He believes a lot of people around Wilcox County will do the same.
Rodgers was elected sheriff in 2016, and won re-election in 2020.