Bridge dedicated three decades after TC’s Perritte dies in NC DMV duty
Those taking part in the unveiling of the Officer Franklin D Perritte Bridge sign were the fallen officers brother Danny, left; Frankie Perritte’s son Sandy, fourth from left; NC DOT Division 6 Engineer W.L. “Lee” Jernigan Jr., to the right of the sign; and Col. Freddy Johnson Jr., Commander of the NC State Highway Patrol. (Deuce Niven, TLT)
By DEUCE NIVEN
tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com
A 20-year effort to honor the memory of North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement Inspector Franklin Dale Perritte, a Tabor City native, ended more than three decades after his death with a bridge dedication ceremony held Friday.
Nearly all of his surviving family members and extended family crowded into the Lake Lodge at Lake Tabor for the ceremony, held several miles away from the bridge dedicated to his memory on NC 410 at Beaverdam Swamp.
“It mean a lot to us,” Dewayne Stephens, a nephew, said after the program. “I was young when my Daddy died, and he was like a Daddy to me.”
DMV Enforcement has since folded into the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. Commander Col. Freddy Johnson, Jr. was among the speakers.
A NCSHP Honor Guard posted the colors as the audience recited The Pledge of Allegiance during Friday’s bridge dedication ceremony. Frankie Perritte’s son Sandy, left, and NCSHP Commander Col. Freddy Johnson, Jr., flank the honor guard. (Deuce Niven, TLT)
On duty in near Fayetteville on Feb. 14, 1995, Officer Perritte died while involved in a high-speed pursuit, a North Carolina Department of Transportation news release said.
Perritte had previously served with the Tabor City and Chadbourn police departments and the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office.
“With today’s ceremony we not only memorialize Officer Perritte’s sacrifice,” Johnson said, “but we recognize the importance of these bridge dedications as they serve as a public reminder of the dangers every law enforcement officer may face.
“Officer Perritte’s service to his community was paid with the ultimate sacrifice and as a state we are forever indebted.”
Calling the turnout that more than filled the Lake Lodge meeting room “a testament to the everlasting impact that a law enforcement officer has on their communities,” Johnson said the fallen officer “will forever hold a place in Patrol history. This bridge will serve as an important outward display in this community and our appreciation and gratitude for the selfless service that he provided for the safety and security of those around him.”
Look for more on this story in the next Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.
