SC deputy has been crushed by a car and bitten by a pit bull. She loves her job
Despite being crushed by a car, attacked by a dog and confronted by a man with a shotgun, Richland County sheriff’s deputy Sarah Merriman said she still loves the job and has never contemplated quitting.
For seven years, Merriman has waded through ups and downs as a Richland County sheriff’s deputy. Her experience, while rewarding, includes incidents that left her battered and bruised, she said. In 2022, she was seriously injured after being pinned between two cars by the driver of a stolen vehicle attempting to flee. Three years later, a pit bull bit her.
Still, Merriman says she enjoys her job despite the apparent dangers that come along with it.
“I’m in this job because the positive things I get from it outweigh any of the bad stuff,” she told The State. “I love my job, and I love every experience I’ve been able to have since I’ve been here.”
Growing up, Merriman said she thought a career in law enforcement would be “cool,” but didn’t think she was cut out for the job.
A Florida native, Merriman graduated from Stetson University in 2013 with a major in communications. Following graduation, she was unsure about what she wanted to do and decided to take a job in retail, she said.
But after spending five years in a retail job she didn’t like, at 28, Merriman applied to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
“I got to a point where, I’m like, I’m ready to try anything,” Merriman said. “I knew some people that were in law enforcement and I became more familiar with what it all involved. I then finally just got the push to apply.”
Upon joining the department, Merriman began working as a patrol deputy before transitioning to the fugitive task force. From there, she became a K-9 handler on the SWAT team and soon encountered her first harrowing experience.
In August 2022, Merriman was assisting another deputy who had tracked a stolen vehicle in the Dentsville area. Moments after she stepped out of her patrol vehicle in the parking lot of Fast Cash Pawn at 6908 Two Notch Road, the driver of the stolen car floored it in reverse, crushing Merriman against her cruiser.
“The minute I got out of my car, things slowed down but sped up at the same time,” Merriman said. “I heard (the car) rev up and saw it coming in reverse. After that, my gun was knocked out of my hand and I really couldn’t figure out what was going on. I remember wanting to help (my fellow deputies) but was unable to get up.”
The incident left Merriman with a fractured left hip, a concussion along with plenty of scrapes and bruises. She spent two months out of work on crutches.
The driver of the stolen Ford Focus, then-17-year-old Jamon Chetham, was charged with attempted murder, failure to stop for blue lights, committing a hit-and-run and possession of a stolen vehicle.
In November 2023, Chetham received a concurrent 10-year prison sentence — five years for vehicle theft and ten years for assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature — following a plea deal, which dropped the attempted murder charge.
While out of work, Merriman loathed sitting at home and couldn’t wait to put her uniform back on, she said.
“I was really ready to come back to work,” she said. “I probably came back too soon, but I realized very quickly I’m not good at sitting still. Being home for two months (immobilized) was really hard.”
On the day Merriman returned to work, she was immediately thrown into another high-risk call involving a reported shooter at Blythewood High School.
“That morning, I remember being able to put my uniform back on and getting in my (patrol) car with Rudy (my K9 partner) and we were just ready to go,” Merriman said.
The call, however, turned out to be a hoax, stemming from a TikTok challenge, Sheriff Leon Lott told reporters during a October 2022 news conference.
Dog attack
Last month, Merriman was attacked by a dog while serving a warrant with Richland County Animal Control officers for animal cruelty in the 1100 block of Heins Road, near Blythewood.
As Merriman walked up the pathway to the home, a large black and white pit bull chained to a tree broke free and charged at Merriman, biting her arm.
As a former K9 handler, Merriman said didn’t consider the chained dog a threat.
“Most of the dogs I see on chains are part of dogfighting operations, and those dogs are actually very sweet and friendly,” Merriman said, expressing sympathy for the dog who bit her her and is now set to be euthanized.
“It’s just unfortunate because pit bulls have a bad enough reputation,” she said. “Nobody sees the ones that are super sweet and just want to be loved.
“It’s sad when there’s one that’s aggressive because they’re not born that way. Dogs are a product of their environment. It’s not really (the dog’s) fault.”
When asked whether she’d considered hanging up her uniform in light of the injuries she’s sustained on the job, Merriman said, “that’s never crossed my mind.”
‘Toughest cop’
Lott said he’s watched Merriman mature on the job since joining the department and that “she is one of the toughest cops” he’s ever met.
“She has persevered from some very serious injuries, and has done an outstanding job in every area she’s worked in her career,” pointing to the time when Merriman was nationally recognized as a patrol deputy.
In April 2022, Merriman was the first officer in South Carolina to receive the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing after convincing a man to put down a shotgun after she was called to a domestic violence incident. The man was demanding that Merriman draw her weapon, which she did not.
Merriman, who now works as an investigator with the department’s special victims unit, said she has worked some “horrible cases,” but is most gratified when she’s able to serve people during the most vulnerable times.
The special victims unit takes on some of the most heart wrenching cases, including crimes involving child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence.
“As hard as it is, you have to love what you do to be able to do your job effectively,” she said. “And while there can be some bad days and frustrating days, what keeps me coming back is the ability to help people.”
