The Crime Stoppers annual golf tournament saw a big turnout and a hole in one by one Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office employee.

Sgt. Nathan Drake shot his first-ever hole in one at Washington Yacht & Country Club’s 13^th hole during Crime Stoppers biggest fundraiser of the year on Tuesday — one that Lt. Kelly Cox called a success, with proceeds between $9,000 and $10,000, and all 25, 4-man spots filled.

“It’s going to be one of the more profitable ones we’ve had in a long time,” Cox said.

First Flight winners included the team of B.J. Marsh, Brad Credle, Tanner Bright and Ron Bright (low gross) and Truman Groover, Dennis Allen, Cecil Walker and Tater Baynor took first place in the low net category.

Second Flight winners were Michael Davenport, Mike Freeman, Ken Jordan and Ron Leverage (low gross) and the team of Zach Martin, Matt Reeves, Wes Graham and Jason Cleary.

Other notable events included Jeff Fenton and Tate Baynor shots ruled closest to the pin on the fifth and 15^th holes, respectively, while Wes Graham was recognized as having the longest drive at the 16^th hole.

Cox said the tournament is a culmination of hard work by Crime Stoppers board members and the generosity of the individuals and businesses, ranging from donations of raffle items to Beaufort County Farm Bureau’s donation of all the golf balls used and PotashCorp-Aurora’s sponsorship of the reception after the tournament.

“That was huge because it’s probably one of the most expensive parts of the tournament,” Cox said.

Others donated to the effort simply as a way to support local law enforcement, Cox said.

Proceeds from the tournament are used to pay those who call, text or email with tips that lead law enforcement to recover stolen property, solve crimes and make arrests.
“We get tips for everything, from something suspicious to the homicides we had back in 2010,” Cox said. “Even if it doesn’t lead to a direct arrest, if they point us in the right direction, we might give them something just for helping us out.”

Cox estimates that 70 percent of Crime Stoppers calls lead to law enforcement moving forward with their open cases, especially if people see a photograph of a suspect in a crime.

“If there’s a picture, we’re usually going to get them within 72 hours,” Cox said.