Retired Volusia County Deputy Drowns in Hurricane Helene Floods

Former Volusia County Deputy Drowns in North Carolina Flood

A retired Volu­sia Coun­ty sher­if­f’s deputy, Jim Lau, trag­i­cal­ly lost his life in the dev­as­tat­ing floods caused by Hur­ri­cane Helene in North Carolina. 

Lau, 75, was remem­bered by his for­mer col­leagues and friends as a ded­i­cat­ed law­man and a kind-heart­ed individual.

Search for Missing Deputy Ends in Tragedy

On Fri­day, Novem­ber 9, 2023, a 911 call alert­ed author­i­ties to a truck sub­merged in a riv­er. Wit­ness­es report­ed see­ing some­one inside the vehi­cle before it went under. 

A search was launched, but dark­ness forced res­cuers to sus­pend oper­a­tions. The search resumed the fol­low­ing day, and sad­ly, Lau’s body was recovered.

Lau Remembered as a Dedicated and Respected Deputy

The Volu­sia Coun­ty Sher­if­f’s Office expressed deep sor­row over Lau’s pass­ing. They described him as a hard-work­ing, depend­able deputy who was always will­ing to lend a help­ing hand. 

Lau’s absence will undoubt­ed­ly be felt by his col­leagues and the com­mu­ni­ty he served.

Former Sheriff Praises Lau’s Contributions

For­mer Volu­sia Coun­ty Sher­iff Ben John­son praised Lau’s ded­i­ca­tion and con­tri­bu­tions to the depart­ment. John­son recalled Lau’s exper­tise in crime scene inves­ti­ga­tion and his instru­men­tal role in devel­op­ing the depart­men­t’s crime scene train­ing program. 

John­son also high­light­ed Lau’s skills in com­mu­ni­ca­tions, empha­siz­ing his abil­i­ty to excel in var­i­ous roles.