The Roanoke Rapids Police Department officer of the year award is now named in honor of the late Charles Vaught and the officer who received it today — Stephan Bryant — is a person who exemplified Vaught’s traits, former Chief Shane Guyant said at a ceremony at city hall.

“Charles was a cool dude,” Guyant said. “I met him many, many years ago when I was with the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office and again when I was with the Department of Insurance.”

Vaught, who died unexpectedly in June of 2020, always made an impression on Guyant, he said. “When I came back to Halifax County around 2018 they had a big chase and manhunt for a guy around T.J. Davis and I hooked back up with Charles. It was really great to be with him again and while I was with the sheriff’s office I continued to talk to Charles and I know how good Charles was.”

Two words always came to mind when talking about Vaught, Guyant said — character and confidence. “If Charles said he was going to do something he was going to do something. You could depend on it. He would drop what he had to do to do it for you. You could always have that to depend on, to have a smile. He was always just a really nice guy.”

Said Guyant: “I thought the world of him as a professional. He was a true professional and was just a true friend — not only to the people that he worked with in the community but he loved this department.”

Somebody with that character and confidence

In talking to Vaught’s daughter Linda last year, Guyant said he wanted this award to be in memory of her father. “In choosing the officer of the year, we wanted to choose somebody that had that character and confidence. We wanted to choose somebody that we thought fit the mold, our core values.”

In describing Bryant, Guyant said, “This person drops what they’re doing to help other people. This person comes out at different times and helps other people.”

And in getting input from supervisors, Bryant stood out.

When Bryant looks at the Charles Lee Vaught Officer of the Year Award, Guyant said he will know that the name that’s on there first is the name this award is named after. “That means so much to me.”

‘I’ve watched this young man grow’

Guyant told the audience, “I’ve watched this young man grow and I’ve watched this young man turn into something special. His future is bright. When I say he gives and he gives, he never asks for anything back and again that reminds me of Charles. He always gave, gave, gave, and never wanted anything back in return.”

To Bryant, Guyant said, "It's a delight to have known you as a friend and a coworker and as a friend and a human being.”

Bryant said, “It means a lot to receive this, especially the first one. This is the first time I’ve ever had officer of the year in any department. It means a lot. That’s all I can say. It was not expected at all. It’s a great honor.”

Keeping Vaught’s name alive and a mother’s pride

For Linda, having the award named in her father’s honor means everything. “I watched my dad pour everything into this department — everything. He went through so much for this department and with this department to have his name and his legacy solidified … I appreciate it so much because I would have hated to see his name just fizzle and all he invested into this department and all his power and energy just for nothing. I feel like this is a way to keep his name alive.”

For Bryant’s mother, Kimberly Wrenn, it was a proud moment seeing her son receive the award. “He has accomplished a lot in his few years. He has always wanted to do this since he was 14.”

She remembers her son watching Cops for hours and wondering if he would ever turn the TV off for a while. “But, yes, he’s wanted this for a long time and he’s worked very hard for it. He deserves it and I love him so much.”

Wilson and Guyant

In addition to Bryant’s award, the police department earlier honored Animal Control Officer Pete Wilson with the administrative officer of the year award and Captain Harold Phillips presented Guyant a plaque in honor of his service as police chief.