Fighting fires as Midway Volunteer Fire Department’s fire chief for the past 31 years is just one aspect of Terrell Chipp’s service to the community.
He knows most everyone in the community after working within the city of Midway for so many years. Given his knowledge of the area, Chipp knew something was wrong Jan. 2 — and his swift response earned him a meritorious award from Liberty County Sheriff Steve Sikes and the department.
Sikes said Chipp saw a pickup truck coming out of the Midway industrial park with a substantial amount of metal that day and became suspicious.
“Mr. Chipp recognized that the property belonged to a nearby business,” Sikes said. “Suspecting a theft, he called 911 and provided a detailed description of the vehicle.”
Sikes said the truck later was spotted by his patrolmen, who stopped the vehicle. The suspects subsequently were arrested. Sikes said the metal was worth several thousand dollars.
“Thanks to Mr. Chipp’s detection, dedication to his community and his keen observation skills, valuable property was recovered and a large loss to the business was avoided,” Sikes said. “When someone does something special that really makes a difference to the citizens of Liberty County, our department wants to give recognition for doing that.”
“I’ve worked for the city of Midway … and I know my area,” Chipp said. “I can ride through an area and know which car belongs at which house, and I saw this truck and something didn’t look right … and they had a truckload,” Chipp said.
Sikes said Chipp’s quick action saved the department and taxpayers the man hours it would have cost the county to go out and investigate the case.
“But one phone call got it taken care of,” he said. “It is a pleasure to commend Mr. Chipp for his assistance and concerns for the citizens of Liberty County. On behalf of the citizens of Liberty County, I just wanted to say thank you.”
Sikes said anyone who wants to report suspicious activities or provide information on ongoing investigations can do so online at www.libertyso.org.