The Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce has selected Officer Eric Chidester of the Roanoke County Police Department for the Officer of the Month award for June 2011.
In May, Officer Chidester was dispatched to a burglar alarm for a local business on Williamson Rd. Upon arrival, Officer Chidester determined that a break in had occurred.
After viewing security video with the store owner, the suspect was identified as a regular customer of the business. Officer Chidester was able to obtain a description of a vehicle that the suspect was usually in and began a search of the area.
The vehicle was located in a nearby apartment complex. Officer Chidester was able to locate the suspect and obtained a confession from him.
Officer Chidester was also recognized (for his work) in an unrelated incident. In May, during a routine traffic stop, Officer Chidester detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Officer Chidester recovered a quarter pound of marijuana from the driver.
Congratulations Officer Chidester on a job well done.