Volusia County, FL - Thursday's Volusia County Council meeting was the last for Sheriff Ben Johnson and Property Appraiser Morgan Gilreath, both of whom are retiring.
Johnson's retiring after being the Volusia County Sheriff for 16 years and after over 40 years in law enforcement. Gilreath is retiring after over 30 years in county government.
"It was October of 1971," said Chief Deputy Eric Dietrich, "The French Connection was in the movie theaters and on it's way to winning an Academy Award for Best Picture. A movie ticket cost $1.50, a gallon of gas was 40 cents. Richard Nixon was in the White House, Disney World had just opened, and a fresh-faced 21-year-old Ben Johnson had just begun his career at the Volusia County Sheriff's Office." Dietrich went on to roast his retiring boss, and to talk about the progress that's been made during his time as Sheriff.
Johnson showed humility and gave credit to the staff of VCSO. "Nobody's had a better group, ever," he said. "I'm the lucky guy that get's patted on the back and gets the credit for it when they do all the work."
Johnson said retirement is bittersweet for him because working in law enforcement has been his life.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2016.
