Sheriff promotes chief deputy | News

NEWBERRY COUNTY, SC (WIS) - Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster has appointed Todd Johnson as Chief Deputy Sheriff. Johnson replaces longtime Chief Deputy Jerry Wright, who retired after 24 years with the title and serving more than 35 years in law enforcement.

Johnson is a lifelong resident of Newberry County.

“Todd has many years of law enforcement and real world experience, which will be a great asset to this office and to the people of Newberry County," said Sheriff Foster.

Johnson is a graduate of Whitmire High School. He joined the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office in 1994 after serving five years with the Whitmire Police Department. He has advanced through the ranks from deputy to major, and now Chief Deputy. Johnson has a bachelors degree in biblical studies and is pursuing a combined masters/doctorate degree in biblical counseling.

Sheriff Foster says Johnson has been instrumental in the design and development of several programs that are critical to the safety of Newberry County residents. He leads the school safety program. In addition to the school resource officers, Johnson worked on a training course for all officers in the response to an active shooting incident tailored for a small rural agency. The program was designed and implemented in Newberry County long before it was the norm and has been highlighted and used by many small and rural agencies across the country.

In addition to his law enforcement career, Johnson is the pastor at The Master’s Baptist Church of Whitmire.

He was recently awarded the Strom Thurmond Excellence in Law Enforcement Award.

Johnson is also a high school football official. He was worked state championship games, the North South All- Star Game, and the Shrine Bowl.

“This is like a dream come to for me,” said Johnson. “I believe God called me to be a law enforcement officer just as much as he has called me to be a Pastor. I have the utmost respect for Sheriff Foster and for retiring Chief Deputy Jerry Wright. They have been role models of effective leadership and I sincerely pray that I might be able to follow in their footsteps in this new position.”

“We are extremely proud and excited to have Chief Johnson in this position. I think he will excel in his position and be a great asset to Newberry County,” according to Sheriff Foster.

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