AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley honored Deputy Paul Whittenberger for what he called “his compassion, professionalism and empathy during a suicide call.”
Body camera footage from the call shows Whittenberger and Corporal Kevin Cheillada spending nearly 30 minutes at the banks of Lake Olmstead talking an Augusta father out of a crisis.
The call
Whittenberger joined the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office in December 2025. The Lake Olmstead response was his first suicide call.
On the body camera recording, the man told the deputies he had called multiple people before dialing 911. “Nobody answered,” he said. “The only person to answer was 911.”…