KERSHAW COUNTY, SC — An investigator with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department has been recognized for breaking up burglary and theft rings throughout 2012.

Investigator Justin Dill has been named the W. Roger Latham Deputy of the Year, Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews said. The award is sponsored by Joe Upchurch, who owns a local insurance agency, and it comes with a $1,000 prize.

Dill has worked at the sheriff’s department for seven years. Prior to that, he was a Kershaw County 911 dispatcher and a firefighter at the Camden Fire Department.

Matthews praised Dill’s hard work in solving cases, including a break-in where someone stole 11 firearms. Dill arrested three people and recovered all of the weapons. He also recently solved a theft ring that operated between Kershaw County, North Myrtle Beach and North Carolina where participants stole and sold high-end lawn equipment, Matthews said.

Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.