News

Kiwanis Club honors 'Caring and Sharing' law officers

From left: Capt. Neil Denman, Sgt. Chris Goodson, Sheriff Charlie McDonald, Julie Kidd, Phillip Whitaker, Jonathan Wing, Chief Herbert Blake, Don Diaz and Ron Davis.

By Bill Moss, Published: March 30, 2017

A police detective who is also an ordained minister, a K9 officer whose partner is named Snoopy, an evidence processor with the sheriff’s office and a state trooper who is a former high school athlete of the year were recognized Thursday by the Hendersonville Kiwanis Club during the annual Morris Kaplan Caring and Sharing Award.

Established in 1996 to recognize law enforcement personnel who demonstrate the kind of caring Kaplan was known for during seven decades of service to the community in charitable work, civil rights and his faith life.
The honorees were:

• Ronald William Diaz, of the Fletcher police. A certified instructor and a detective, Diaz, a five-year veteran, is a pastor at Covenant Baptist Church and a teacher and counselor there. In his free time he enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his family. He and his wife, Leisha, have two children. Detective work "is not like patrol," said his supervisor, Ron Davis. "It's kind of a thankless job. Every day, I have something for Ron to take care of. I know when I give him a problem it's a problem that's going to take a while. He always says, 'Ron, I got it.'"
• Phillip Whitaker, Laurel Park police. A 25-year law enforcement veteran, Whitaker has been with the Laurel Park police department for 10 years and serves as a firearms instructor. Owner of Whitaker Farms in Mills River, he and his wife, Rhonda, have two sons. Whitaker busy running a farm, raising a family and attending his kids' sports event. "With all that, every time I've called on him, he doesn't ask, 'What am I doing, what uniform do I wear, how long am I going to be there?' He says, 'Yep, I'll be there,'" said Laurel Park Police Chief Bobbie Trotter. She had to make up an excuse to bring him to the Kiwanis luncheon. "If I told him I wanted to give him this award he would have begged and pleaded for me to give it to someone else," she said.
• Jonathan Lewis Wing, Hendersonville police. Rookie of the year in 2014, Wing is a K9 handler who partners with a bloodhound named Snoopy. He is a member of the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council and is active in coaching youth sports and Bigs in Blue. He often takes Snoopy to schools for demonstrations. He played offensive line and was on the track team at UNC Pembroke and still enjoys sports and working out in his free time. "The thing that gets me really excited about Jon is his desire to mentor and inspire young people in the community," said Chief Herbert Blake. "In addition to that, he's always volunteering to do community outreach. I told him when we sat down here today that I fully expect him to be a contender to be a police chief in Hendersonville one day if he stays."
• Julie Kidd, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. Retired from the SBI, Kidd has been an evidence handler at the sheriff’s office for four years. The WNC Justice Academy featured her work in the evidence and property collection course because of the outstanding job she does. She volunteers in training the community in emergency preparedness and at community pill drops and at Farm City Day. In her spare time, she cooks meals for an elderly friend, volunteers at the Serpentarium in Mills River and rides motorcycles with her husband. "She's the kind of person that gets things done," said Sheriff Charlie McDonald. "She's the kind of person that volunteers when nobody else does. She's 100 percent reliable and she puts other people before herself."
• Christopher Michael Goodson, State Highway Patrol. A 21-year veteran of the Highway Patrol, Sgt. Goodson is a Henderson County native and 1990 graduate of Hendersonville High School, where he was male athlete of the year. He teaches driver’s ed at HHS and has participated in “Shop with a Cop.” He and his wife have four daughters ranging in age from 5 to 18. "Chris is one of the most compassionate and patient supervisors we have," said Capt. Neil Denman, who leads the Asheville-based Highway Patrol district. "He has a wife and four daughters at home. That experience comes in handy when it comes to supervising people on the road."