York County Sheriff’s Press Release: YCSO Sergeant Wins Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement
YORK COUNTY, SC – For his unwavering commitment to investigating a violent shooting in December 2020, Detective Sergeant Devin Askew was honored to receive the 2024 Marvin Brown Excellence in Law Enforcement Award by the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. Each year, the Solicitor invites each of his assistant solicitors to nominate an officer who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in the investigation of a case filed in General Sessions in that year.
“It’s no surprise to me that Sgt. Askew earned this award. His dedication to his job, his skill as an excellent investigator, and his unwavering work ethic made it an easy process for the committee to select him for this award,” said Sheriff Kevin Tolson.
Sgt. Askew was nominated by Senior Solicitor Hannah Woods. The nomination reads: When officers arrived on scene at a shooting in Fort Mill, SC, on December 12, 2020, the victim—a veteran—was bleeding from his face and unsure of who could have shot him. Sgt. Askew was the detective assigned, and what unfolded was an almost perfect investigation of a stranger violent crime with no suspect on scene. Askew was able to mobilize officers at several locations to identify the perpetrator and properly investigate what would have otherwise been a much weaker case. Evidence would ultimately include K-9 tracking, surveillance video, a shoe print, gunshot residue, ballistics, GPS data, and DNA. The result was a very strong case, with so much evidence that the defendant pleaded guilty the day of the trial and received 15 years in prison.
“The qualities sought include how hard the officer worked on investigating and documenting the case, how creative they were in solving the case, how hard they worked to identify witnesses and secure their cooperation, and how their own positive and professional demeanor impacted the case. Sgt. Askew exceeded these qualities,” said Solicitor Kevin Brackett.
Other nominees were Detective Lanelle Day and Captain Jonathan Reed of the York County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, Investigator Daniella Gatti of the Rock Hill Police Department, Investigator Sean Leary of the Rock Hill Police Department, and Sergeant Christopher Rowe of the Rock Hill Police Department.
When nominations are closed, a special meeting of all the assistant solicitors in the office is called. In the meeting, the nominating attorneys present their case in support of their nomination. At the end of the presentations, the attorneys vote anonymously on who they believe should receive the award. The annual award reflects the consensus of those who review each of the thousands of cases submitted for prosecution in that year and is the highest tribute we can pay our colleagues in law enforcement.
Marvin R. Brown was the first Chief Investigator for the Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, and during his 45 years in law enforcement, he won the respect and admiration of everyone who knew him. When Marvin retired in 2021, Solicitor Kevin Brackett initiated an annual award in honor of Marvin’s outstanding career in law enforcement. The annual award was established to recognize an officer from the Sixteenth Circuit law enforcement community whose temperament and excellent investigative efforts exemplify those of Marvin Brown.
