Agents honored for heroism during event in which partner was killed

Agents assigned to the United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Task Force were honored Thursday with the Governor’s Public Safety Award for an Act of Heroism.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal presented the award to special agents Daniel Lyle Wilkes and Peter Morris.

A news release on the Georgia Department of Corrections website says the Governor’s Public Safety Awards is an annual event that recognizes the courageous efforts of Georgia’s public safety community.

According to the report, Wilkes and Morris were recognized for their bravery displayed during an operation where their comrade lost his life.

Wilkes and Morris were involved in an operation aimed at apprehending Dontrell Montese Carter, who was wanted by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina for multiple counts of attempted murder of police officers. During the attempt to apprehend Carter, he opened fire and killed Patrick Carothers of Macon, Ga.

Both Wilkes and Morris, without hesitation, aided their team members in the rescue and treatment of Carothers.

“It is the ultimate sacrifice to risk your life to save another’s and that is what Agents Wilkes and Morris did, even in the line of fire,” said Department of Corrections Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier in the report. “A sacrifice like that deserves one of the highest honors the state of Georgia can present, an award from Governor Deal, and many thanks for what they do to keep us all safe every day.”

The SERFTF became fully active in September of 2003 and operates out of offices in Atlanta, Savannah, and Macon, Georgia. The team is becoming well recognized as the “one-stop shop” for fugitive investigations in the state of Georgia.

This story was originally published December 10, 2017 at 3:09 PM with the headline "Agents honored for heroism during event in which partner was killed."