A solemn tribute
Officers, dogs honor fallen Dorchester deputy
BY NOAH HAGLUND
The Post and Courier
SUMMERVILLE -
Dispatchers sent out the final call.
They radioed badge No. 114 three times. Cpl. Mike Deese didn't answer. The Dorchester County sheriff's deputy had reached the end of his tour of duty.
The message went through Faith Assembly of God in Summerville to conclude Deese's memorial service Tuesday and over emergency dispatch channels throughout the area.
Hundreds of officers from local, state and federal agencies came to pay tribute to the highly decorated K-9 handler killed Friday with his Belgian malinois Sonja in a wreck on Interstate 26. Law enforcement officers and other emergency workers arrived from all regions of South Carolina, and even Georgia. About 60 police dogs also stood at attention as Deese's casket arrived outside the church before the 11 a.m. service.
...
The South Carolina Sheriff's Association named him Deputy of the Year in 2003, after he and his former canine partner were wounded during a domestic violence call. When Deese reached the Summerville house, a man who later was convicted of the crime emerged from some bushes and sprayed the deputy with birdshot in the arm, face and chest. His bloodhound also was wounded.
One detail about the incident was telling, according to Deese's supervisor, sheriff's Sgt. Joseph Burnette.
"Here he is, shot, he wants to know what's going on with his dog," Burnette said. "That's Mike."
Investigators aren't sure what caused the wreck that killed Deese and 53-year-old Christopher Burnham Jr. of Summerville.
The deputy was driving west on I-26 near Harleyville about 5:20 p.m. when Burnham's pickup crossed from the opposite lanes and ran head-on into his cruiser. There were no cable barriers or trees on that part of the freeway median.
Some early reports stated that a witness saw Burnham slump or lean over before the crash. An autopsy revealed no prior medical condition, Dorchester County Chief Deputy Coroner Perida Moultrie said Tuesday.
...Deese died from blood loss from injuries suffered in the crash, she said.
A necropsy on Deese's K-9 partner showed Sonja also died from blood loss because of a head injury, Moultrie said.
Burnham's truck struck several other vehicles, sending one woman to the hospital. The state Highway Patrol's investigation is expected to take at least several weeks.
Surviving Deese are his wife and three children. He was a member of Dorchester County's SWAT and tracking teams, as well as the honor guard.
