Everyday Heroes 2020

houston county
sheriff’s office
DEPUTY JUSTIN ANDREWS
By KRISTIN MORIARTY
Deputy Justin Andrews has been
with the Houston County Sheriff’s
Office now for four years, and
while he has only been on the
patrol unit for one year, Andrews
said this will be a lifelong career
for him.
Andrews was born in Macon and
raised in Crawford County, Ga.
After high school, he went on to
Central Georgia Technical College
to become a mechanic, which he
did and spent 14 years working
as a mechanic. He then went on
to work at a gun range in Macon,
where he also got involved in
shooting competitions. Through
those competitions, he met several
law enforcement officers, one of
which was from Houston County
Sheriff’s Office who sparked Andrews’
interest in becoming an officer.
“I never thought about law enforcement growing up,” Andrews said.
“No one in my family was a police officer, but my dad and brothers
served in the military. So growing up, I kind of had that discipline
there and respect for authority. Now, I wasn’t the best teenager, but
I eventually came around. Not long after becoming friends with the
police officers I met at the gun range, I became more interested in
the field. So, I began that journey in 2014 and was hired onto the
Houston County Sheriff’s Office in 2016, beginning working at the
jail.”
Andrews worked at the Houston County Detention Center for two
and half years. While there, he was promoted to transport unit for
the jail, spending nine months in that role. He then graduated from
mandate and was assigned to the patrol unit in March of 2019. In
March of this year, 2020, Andrews experienced a traumatic call that
he said he still, from time to time, struggles with processing.
“I was on nightshift at the time, and was actually working overtime
on that Saturday night,” Andrews said. “I was down at the south end
of the county. Around 3:30 a.m., I was sitting on Highway 41 and
South Perry Parkway near the fairgrounds, when the call came out.
Initially, dispatch said it was an 18-wheeler versus car accident. I
drove as fast as I could, and when I stopped, it wasn’t the 18-wheeler
that was involved. In fact, the one that was involved was a quarter
mile past where the vehicle was. I got out, and the men who stopped
were telling me that the people in the van were not moving.”
Andrews said around that time, it had been raining almost everyday.
It had been raining the night of this call, but it had stopped.
“One part of the van was in the ditch and the water came to about
mid calf of my legs,” Andrews said. “As I went to the front, I saw that
the female driver was slumped over, and when I called for her, she
didn’t respond. I couldn’t open her door, so I was going to bust the
window out, but I wanted to make sure it was clear before I did that.
So, I shined my flashlight, and I saw a car seat turned over in the
back. My adrenaline kicked in even more. Given the fact the driver
wasn’t responding I immediately pried opened the passenger door
and when I did I saw a little boy under the dash.”
The little boy was about three to four years old, and Andrews discovered
he had no pulse. He began CPR on him.
“I wasn’t having any luck and just kept going until EMS arrived on
scene,” Andrews said. “Well, a Dooly County Sheriff’s deputy arrived
before EMS, and he took over because I was getting tired from
conducting CPR. But I went back to the van because something told
me there had to be another child in there. There was. It was another
little boy, but he was in the car seat turned over. He was crying, but
he was OK. We then shut down the interstate for the helicopter to
come in and transport them to the hospital. Sadly, the mother and
the first little boy I found didn’t make it.”
Andrews said if it wasn’t for his faith in God, that call would have
consumed him.
“I became a Christian early on in life, and I take my faith very serious,”
Andrews said. “I am very grateful for God’s love and guidance.
Of course, calls like that will shake you up, but if you give it to God,
He will get you through it. This profession comes with both sacrifice
and reward. You always hope for the better outcome, but you take it
in stride and keep going.”
Andrews’ goals are to explore different paths in the sheriff’s office
with the different divisions. He said his knack is patrol and hopes to
be in a lieutenant or captain’s position one day.
“I like this job a lot because it’s something different everyday,” Andrews
said. “I especially enjoy the Houston County Sheriff’s Office.
We are well-respected throughout the state, and we have the best
sheriff in the state. He lets us do our job and he trusts us. I can’t wait
to see what the future has in store for me in my career.”
EVERYDAY HEROES 2020 9