Things were different back when Dent Pugh was the sheriff of Alleghany County about 50 years ago.
Pugh was the only salaried person in the sheriff's office. So if he was going to raid a moonshine still, he would stop along the way to pick up a neighbor to help him.
"You didn't have no deputies. You had to pick them up as you went along," said David Edwards, the current sheriff.
Pugh, now 93 years old, was in office from 1954 to 1958. He still lives in Alleghany County, and in this close-knit community, he often shares stories with Edwards and others. Efforts to reach Pugh yesterday were unsuccessful.
Pugh is the oldest living former sheriff in the state, said Robin Miller, the assistant director of the N.C. Sheriffs' Association.
On Sunday, the Alleghany County Sheriff's Office and others will honor Pugh at a reception from 3 to 5 p.m. at the county's senior-citizens center on Alleghany Street in Sparta, next to the law-enforcement center.
The idea to recognize Pugh came out of a conversation earlier this summer between Edwards and Pugh's nephew Danny Pugh, who works as a detention officer in the jail.
Danny Pugh had commented about Dent Pugh's term as sheriff, 50 years ago. Edwards mused that Dent Pugh just might be the oldest living former sheriff in the county — maybe even in the state.
They called the N.C. Sheriffs' Association to find out, said Brent Pugh, who is Danny Pugh's son. And in a couple of weeks, the association called back and confirmed that Dent Pugh indeed is the oldest living former sheriff in North Carolina.
Dent Pugh became sheriff in 1954 after his predecessor was killed in the line of duty, Brent Pugh said.
In those days, Edwards said, sheriffs investigated many of the same crimes that exist today, but they had fewer resources. It took quite a person to step into that role.
"They had murders, and in some ways, the same things we have," he said.
Sherry Youngquist can be reached in Mount Airy at 336-789-9338 or at syoungquist@wsjournal.com.
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