Sheppard nominated for Coroner of the Year

DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Lumpkin County Coroner Jim Sheppard has been nominated for the Georgia Coroner of the Year Award to be presented by the Georgia Coroners Association in Macon later this month.

Sheppard said Thursday his reaction is almost indescribable. “It’s very humbling and very appreciated. I’m grateful that people outside our office and even outside our county recognize the fact that we’re doing good work here.”

Sheppard was nominated by Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacey Jarrard who wrote, “It’s been a pleasure to serve with Coroner Sheppard the past two years where he has shown incredible strength with his integrity, compassion, and ethics. Being coroner is truly a calling. Coroner Sheppard has brought to our county a level of professionalism that we had not yet experienced.

Sheppard and Deputy Coroner Frank Goss have done a near-miraculous job of transforming the office from one of mistrust — after the previous coroner was convicted of felony theft — into an award-winning office of excellence. Goss won the Deputy Coroner of the Year Award last year.

“Because of what took place before we took office, we had to work really hard,” Sheppard explained. “There was a lot of mistrust and a lot of people wondering if we really need a coroner. The county could have just let the GBI come up and investigate all the deaths up here. But I’m blessed in more ways than you can imagine that the people of Lumpkin County trusted me enough to allow me to rebuild the office.”

Sheppard said Goss was very deserving of the award and that it was a step forward in regaining the community’s trust. “We are so grateful he actually got selected for Deputy Coroner of the Year. That was a step in the right direction toward bringing the coroner’s office back to the level of service and commitment that is expected of us.”

In recommending Sheppard, Jarrard cited numerous examples of the coroner’s compassion and professionalism.

One case earlier this year involved the drowning death of a father and son and the notification of the wife and mother of the tragedy.

“The loss was terrific but the manner in which Mr. Sheppard handled the family gently and compassionately allowed the family to begin the long process of healing,” Jarrard said.

 

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