Lavonia Police Officer to be Honored Posthumously Tonight

The parents of a former Lavonia Police Officer will receive special recognition for their son’s service in the capture of a convicted murderer.

At tonight’s Lavonia City Council meeting, Lavonia Police Chief Bruce Carlisle will make the special presentation to the parents of the late Lieutenant Scott Stowe, Gary and Mary Dooley Stowe of Toccoa.

Stowe passed away suddenly in 2018.

Ten years earlier, in 2008, an escapee from the Hays State Prison in Chattooga County, Johnny Mack Brown, kidnapped a woman and her vehicle and forced her at knifepoint to drive across the State to Lavonia.

A massive manhunt ensued for Brown across Northeast Georgia.

Several days later, Lieutenant Stowe, who was the night shift commander at the Lavonia Police Department was on patrol when he spotted a suspicious-looking man walk across the railroad tracks on Jones St. and run into the woods.

It was Johnny Mack Brown.

Stowe, with help from two other Lavonia Police Officers, captured Brown who was later returned to prison.

Then in 2017, Lt. Stowe was honored for saving the life of a Lavonia man in cardiac arrest.

“Upon your arrival, you immediately recognized that the male was in serious distress, based on your training, knowledge, and experience, you directed that an automated external defibrillator be applied to the victim,” said Chief Carlisle. “After the shock was administered you followed the directions and began CPR. The day after the incident, I received information from emergency medical personnel that your actions most definitely saved the life of the gentleman,” said Carlisle.

Carlisle then presented Lt. Stowe with the Lavonia Police Department Life Saving Medal.

At the time of his passing, a year later, Carlisle called Lieutenant Stowe a valued member of the Lavonia Police Department who had served with the department with distinction for 10 years.

“Lieutenant Stowe had been with the Lavonia Police for ten years,” Carlisle said. “He was a shift commander on the night shift and a valued member of the Lavonia Police Department. He was a recipient of a medal of valor and a lifesaving medal. His absence will leave a huge void in our department.”

Tonight’s Lavonia City Council meeting begins at 5:30p at City Hall.