Guyant's sendoff topped with Order of the Long Leaf Pine

Details: Lance Martin; News; 04 December 2024; 579

Former Roanoke Rapids police Chief Shane Guyant received his badge and service weapon during Tuesday’s city council meeting and also received one of the state’s highest honors — the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Guyant’s retirement became official on the first day of the month and Captain Harold Phillips, who is serving as interim chief, along with captains Jeff Baggett and Gorton Williams presented him the badge and gun.

“His service is greatly appreciated and he will be remembered,” Phillips said.

Before Guyant received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, Phillips presented the retired chief a frame containing his badges, patches, and embroidered stripes from all the agencies he served during his career, a gift Guyant’s wife helped the department with.

“These are all the departments that I’ve worked for in my 31-plus years, starting with the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office,” Guyant said. “I actually started as a detention officer. Back then you had to start as a detention officer before you became a law enforcement officer.”

In Edgecombe, he made it to the rank of lieutenant over criminal investigations and narcotics.

From Edgecombe he went to the state Department of Insurance and stayed there from 2005 to 2018, “I started as a special agent and worked my way up to district supervisor, assistant director, and then I was finally director of the agency.”

He ended up at the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office after the state election. At the HCSO he was a lieutenant over professional standards and was responsible for hiring and internal affairs.

In 2023 he came to Roanoke Rapids. “This has been quite an honor to be your police chief in this city,” he said. “I really and truly thank you for giving me the opportunity. This is the culmination of 31 years and thank you to my wife for getting this put together for me. This means a whole lot.”

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Accolades

Before having state Representative Michael Wray come up for the order, Phillips told Guyant, “I just want to say we appreciate you, we love you, and thank you for everything you’ve done.”

Said Guyant: “We had a great team and thank you for letting me serve you and I hope I did well. I hope I made you proud.”

Referring to Phillips, Baggett and Williams, he said, “I leave behind three great leaders. These leaders are phenomenal and they have done so much for this city. They’re the ones that deserve the applause, they’re the ones that really and truly made this happen. I’m very fortunate for that and I thank God for giving me the opportunity.”

Long Leaf Pine

Wray was the last to come up and told Guyant, “You’ve been a good friend for years. Tonight is a special night for me and you.”

Before presenting the retired chief the order, Wray thanked his sister, Cheryl Edwards, for making it happen. “My sister is truly a blessing to me, not just being my sister. She’s been my research assistant and when my legislative assistant left she stepped up.”

With the transition beginning from Roy Cooper to Josh Stein in the governor’s office, Edwards was tasked with securing the order. “My sister’s been a really big asset on this,” he said. “The duty we do for our constituents is the best part of my job, the constituents making this a better place.”

It was a whirlwind job to get the order, he said, and she was back in time for the presentation. “I just wanted you to know I truly love my sister. That’s what family is about.”

He told Guyant, “You definitely have had a heck of a great career and I wish you nothing but the best.”

Wray said, “The state of North Carolina, Roy Cooper reposed in special confidence, integrity, learning and zeal do present Dr. Christopher Shane Guyant and confer the Order of the Long Leaf Pine with the rank of ambassador extraordinaire.”

Said Wray: “Shane, I’m proud of you. I wish you the best of luck and thank you for being in our community because I can truly tell you that you’ve trained some good individuals. You’ve given good people some opportunities to grow in our city and the department here.”

Guyant said, “The job this man and his sister has done here has been stalwart. Ever since I’ve known you, if you said you were going to do something … you got it done. You’ve been a very, very good asset to us in the city and I thank you for your years of service.”