By John Brice
Correspondent
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall attended a memorial service at the Chambers County Courthouse on Monday, August 7th of 2023 paying tribute to the life of Chambers County Sheriff Deputy J’Mar Colin Abel who had lost his life in the line of duty in June of 2022.
Sheriff Jeff Nelson welcomed the crowd who had gathered in the courtroom by introducing Abel’s family when he stated “Today with us is his fiancee, Jasmine. The baby, she ain’t a baby no more, she all growed up. And the rest of the family are here to join us to pay our respects. The Attorney General, Mr. Steve Marshall, has arrived and he wants to pay his respects to the family with a presentation to them.”
Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Blain Turner led the attendees in prayer at which point Sheriff Nelson continued “Mr. J’Mar Abel did not work for me, he worked with me, as I was a road trooper in this county. I was hoping I would have him under me when I finally took the office of Sheriff, but Sheriff Lockhart had the honor of being his leader and being Sheriff. Sheriff Lockhart, I ask that you say a word or two please, sir.”
Recently retired Sheriff Sid Lockhart came up front to address the guests by recounting his memories of Abel by recalling “I can remember the day that he walked into my office. I had some of the jail command staff tell me ‘we have got a young man at the jail who wants to be a deputy’. I remember the morning he walked in, that’s the one thing that I asked him why he wanted to be a deputy and he said he wanted to help people. He said his father had wanted him to go into the service and follow in his footsteps but he did not, he wanted to be a deputy sheriff. I always like to ask when I hire anyone, ‘what about your family?’. That is when he told me about his father but he also told me about his fiancee and the rest of his family. At some point he went to the police academy, did very well at the police academy. They bragged on him, his personality and then he comes back and goes through the training process. Very clean cut, his equipment was always just so clean.”
Lockhart continued “One thing that I remember that it was either that morning or the morning before, I looked at facebook, and I saw him over at your home in the living room. They lived at separate residences and they had a baby on the way. Your son was like his son, there was no doubt he loved you and your son. They were in there doing push ups, they had a video of them doing push ups that morning before he went to work. That tells you something, when somebody takes the time to basically raise a child that is not his. He was doing something that made him happy, he loved to serve the public. He was trying to help a police officer and it ultimately ended his life. Attorney General Marshall, we appreciate you coming up today and taking time out of your busy schedule.”
Attorney General Marshall came up front to address the crowd and remarked “These things are important to us to be able to come, specifically meeting with the families after we have lost an officer in the line of duty. It is not lost on me that these are also difficult on the family. They are reminded of that fateful day in June of last year when we learned of this tragedy. I hope that what today does is remind them specifically about the fact that law enforcement continues to have their arms around this family and to be able to continue to lift them up. Mike is going to be able to tell one day about kind of the seminal moments in his DA career. I can tell you for me as a young prosecutor, it was when I had a police chief that was killed in the line of duty. He was a friend of mine, somebody that I knew well. What I took from everything that surrounded his death was how law enforcement from around the country came to little Grant, Alabama up in Marshall County to be able to honor Chief LeMaster and his life. And then how law enforcement basically gathered together to be able to put their arms around that family to say that you remain a part of us and who we are and what we are about. I have never lost that feeling and that understanding and that belief. That is one of the unique privileges as A.G. is to be able to work with the men and women who are called to protect and to serve every day.”
Marshall continued “I was speaking to a group of kids recently and it was an event honoring law enforcement. I told them ‘law enforcement is a little crazy’ and I meant that with all respect. The reality is, that the men and women of law enforcement run into danger rather than running away and that is not normal. They are willing to take a job with very little public acknowledgement to risk their lives every day, so crazy is good. It is one thing that we need to continue and honor. Mike gave me the privilege of going up and speaking to a grand jury that is currently in panel. One of the things that I just reminded them is that uniquely through grand jury service, they are going to walk away feeling really, really lucky about law enforcement officers in this community because they are going to be impressed. Through the work they do and the effort they put into the community, it is going to be a good thing for them.”
Abel’s widowed fiance Jasmine Gaddist came forward to stand with Marshall where he presented her with a small praying hands sculpture and a framed commendation. Marshall read the commendation aloud at which point 5th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Mike Segrest shared his own thoughts of remembrance. Concluding the service, A.G. Marshall stood for portraits alongside members of the Sheriff’s Department, D.A. Segrest and Abel’s family.