Former sheriff's deputy recalls job's trials

On a clear March afternoon, John B. Cartee sat on the front porch of his home, which overlooks the traffic rolling along U.S. Highway 29.

There once was a day when the highways and country roads had more importance in Cartee's life. As a deputy sheriff he spent years on patrol, first for the sheriff's office in Richmond County, then for about 20 years in Oglethorpe County.

"The best thing I ever done in my life is when I retired from law enforcement," Cartee said.

Law enforcement has its up and downs, but Cartee said he enjoyed dealing with people. After he left Oglethorpe County, he worked for several years in security at St. Mary's Hospital before he retired. Then he took on a part-time job.

"I still loved people so I worked as a door greeter at Walmart for six or seven years," he said.

One of the tougher times in his career was in Augusta where he was working for former sheriff Bill Anderson. Cartee and another deputy were dispatched to a bar fight.

"Boy, they were fighting. We walked in there and this one had already cut two or three down," he recalled. "I hollered, 'Break it up.' "