June 28, 2004
CONTACT: SID GAULDEN, 803-896-8409
COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Public Safety named Corporal R.L. Ray the South Carolina Highway Patrol ACE Team Trooper of the Year at a June 23 ceremony.
Ray is currently stationed in Troop 8, ACE Team, where he is a supervisor for the Region IV (I-95 area). He joined the Highway Patrol in 1996, stationed in Allendale County. He was assigned to Clarendon County in 1999 and began work with the ACE Team in 1999. He was promoted to corporal in 2002. Ray worked with the South Carolina Department of Corrections from 1994-1996.
“Cpl. Ray’s interest in networking and education help him stay current on narcotics’ trafficking trends and other officer safety issues,” said Highway Patrol Col. Russell F. Roark. “He portrays an image of professionalism and takes pride in the uniform of the South Carolina Highway Patrol.”
During 2003, Cpl. Ray seized 63 pounds of cocaine, six ounces of marijuana, 1 ˝ ounces of crack cocaine and a large sum of U.S. currency. The currency seizure was a direct result of Cpl. Ray’s specialized training and keen awareness of signs that indicate illegal drug activity. (specifics on arrests/seizures made by ACE team members are not released to the media in the interest of the officer’s safety).
Cpl. Ray, a Sumter native, attended Hillcrest High School in Dalzell and is a graduate of Sumter Area Technical College with an associate’s degree in criminal justice. He has also attended the Drug Enforcement Administration’s School of Drug Interdiction, the Desert Snow Drug Interdiction School and the SCHP Officer Survival School. He and his wife, Wendy, and daughter Reilly Grace, reside in Manning. They attend First Baptist Church of Manning. Ray was named 2003 ACE Team Trooper of the Year.
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