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\u201cA lot of things can happen, and it depends on how a person looks at it; just one or two decisions can change where you are today,\u201d said Mullins. \u201cIf we hadn\u2019t gone to church where the first sheriff I worked for attended, and if I hadn\u2019t talked to him, I might never have even got in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although he sometimes left law enforcement for civilian work, Mullins always returned to the sheriff\u2019s office. The desire to make a positive difference stayed with him as he rose through the ranks, becoming a chief deputy, sergeant, and finally, the elected sheriff of Lincoln County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What kept drawing him back?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I enjoyed it. When someone\u2019s stolen a farmer\u2019s cows, and you can call him to come get them, or if someone had a chainsaw stolen and you recovered it and solved some other crimes at the same time, it\u2019s satisfying. But it\u2019s not satisfying when you can\u2019t solve a crime or help somebody,\u201d said Mullins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Helping the people of Lincoln County and restoring to them what others tried to take away was important to him. Although many more generations are now here than when he was in office, he knew the people he served, and they knew him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy granddaddy was bad to ask people who their mama and daddy were, and he knew a lot of people that way,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m bad about that, too, and I know a lot of the people that live here. I hated when we moved to Michigan [as a child] because I wanted to be down here on Grandpa\u2019s farm. There\u2019s a bunch of good people here in Lincoln County, and I used to know a large section of the county.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout his career, Mullins faced challenges that tested his resolve, but he never wavered in his commitment to serve the community. On one of his earliest calls as sheriff, a Giles County father abducted his child. Finding the man and taking him and the child into custody without incident or force reaffirmed his calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe was in a field close to the river at a gravel pit. I got out of the car and started walking, and I spotted him just standing there with the baby in his arms, gazing out into the field. I eased up on him as close as I could without spooking him, and I told him, \u2018Lay that baby down and move away from him.\u2019 And he did. He put the baby down, and I radioed the ambulance and some more help and eased on toward him. I secured him, and he didn\u2019t give me any trouble. I picked the baby up and had the daddy walk ahead of me toward the car [where more help arrived].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was rewarding work but not easy work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n He said, \u201cWe had to put in a lot of hard work, from 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week. Of course, you\u2019re on call all the time, and it didn\u2019t pay a whole lot, but it was a regular paycheck,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was inevitable that some calls involved traumatic incidents, but Mullins refueled and refocused by finding a moment to sit in silence. He had to keep moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMost things are what you make of them,\u201d he said. \u201cI believe that most officers are out there to help. I was there for 22 years and some odd months. I never used a nightstick or blackjack and never shot anybody. I slapped two people. One hit me with his fist, and I slapped him. I didn\u2019t let my people abuse anybody when I was chief deputy or sheriff, and they knew we didn\u2019t put up with that. I guess I was lucky, though. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mullins believes his story isn\u2019t unique. Still, his non-violent career shines even brighter when today\u2019s national news replays endless footage of violence in city streets, including officers using excessive force. Law and order standing on the shoulders of solid character and higher standards provide security to everyone in the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Childhood dreams and a desire to see positive change are more important today than ever, and the bonds of Lincoln County residents make us stronger together. Communities with that kind of support and stories like Mullins\u2019 may not be unique, but they\u2019re priceless. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FOR OVER two decades, former Sheriff Jimmy Mullins dedicated his life to law enforcement, ensuring justice and safety for the Lincoln County community. From heartfelt rescues to challenging situations faced head-on, he brought quiet dignity to every call. A career in law enforcement was not a choice he made lightly; it was a calling and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20940,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/10\/3-1-1024x683.png\")
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