'Godspeed, brother': SC deputy killed in the line of duty is laid to rest

Standing over the American flag-draped casket in Saluda Baptist Church's sanctuary, the Rev. Greg Williams couldn't tell mourners why Cpl. Dale Hallman's life ended at the age of 29.

"But I do know this," he said. "That Dale was born, and he was lent to you for a little while. But he always belonged to God."

Hallman, a K-9 officer with the Saluda County Sheriff's Office, was killed when his patrol car crashed as he headed to Edgefield County late Thursday to help find a suspect who was holding a child hostage and had fled into some woods.

The fallen officer was laid to rest Monday. Saluda County streamed the memorial service live on YouTube.

"We shall always remember that he was trying to make the world a better place to live," the Rev. Lee Cothran said of Hallman, a five-year veteran of the sheriff's office. "Dale laid down his life to help make this a better world for all of us."

The clank of rifles hitting the floor in unison punctuated the strains of "How Great Thou Art" as the honor guard paid respects to Hallman, placing a pair of boots, a pair of gloves, a hat and a badge on a table at the front of the church.

After the playing of "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes, Sheriff John Perry read from the Old Testament book of Isaiah.

"And I heard the voice of the Lord say, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?'" he read. "And I said, 'Here I am.'"

"Dale lived by those words as he worked to protect the citizens of this county," Perry continued. "The night Dale lost his life, he was responding to his fellow officers who were out with an armed subject. There was a child involved whose life had been in danger."

Perry implored the officers filling many of the pews to honor Hallman's life by committing themselves to the same service of others.

"Godspeed, brother," Perry said. "We have the watch from here."

There have been 35 officer fatalities in the U.S. this year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Of those, 10 were traffic-related.

Hallman, who was born in Columbia, also had served as a volunteer firefighter. He left behind a wife and two sons. His wife is pregnant with their daughter, Laney-Grace, who is due in June, according to his obituary.

The Rev. Derrick Jones, chaplain for the sheriff's office, drew laughter from the crowd when he told them how picky Hallman was about the way his wife folded towels. He also recalled a foot pursuit that Hallman and another officer were involved in that ended when they chased the suspect into a creek.

"They get the suspect under control," Jones said. "(The other officer) says, 'Man, something sure does stink.' They began to notice that there were small pieces of toilet paper all over their clothes."

Despite the officers having to chase the suspect into raw sewage, Jones said, Hallman took the last bottle of water out of his cooler and gave it to the suspect to clean off his face.

In the days since Hallman's death, Jones said he lamented the end of his conversations and crazy stories with Hallman.

"It was as if the Lord let me hear Dale's voice one more time," he said.

He told the congregation that he saw an image of Hallman standing with his thumbs in his pockets, his shoulders dropped back and "that goofy grin" on his face.

"And I can hear him saying, 'You ought to see what I'm seeing,'" he said.

This story was originally published April 9, 2018 at 4:19 PM with the headline "'Godspeed, brother': SC deputy killed in the line of duty is laid to rest."