THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Many in the community were saddened to hear the news that Robert Thomas Breedlove, sheriff of Vance County from 1990-2006, passed away on Sunday at the age of 86.

In a conversation with WIZS News, current Vance County Sheriff Curtis Brame said he was saddened to hear of the passing of a man that he knew prior to their law enforcement days.

“I received a call from his son Tommy and daughter Lynne over the weekend,” said Brame. “I was shocked; I was hurt. He is going to be truly missed in this county.”

From the WIZS’ Archive – L to R: Sheriff Thomas Breedlove, Tom Hannon of WIZS, Police Chief Glen Allen, John C. Rose in the early 2000s after a TownTalk episode.

Breedlove and Brame entered Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) together in 1983 and worked hand-in-hand until Breedlove’s retirement in 2006.

“He was an excellent sheriff, a people’s sheriff. He was all about rapport and bridge-building. People in this county loved him. He was just a great commander-in-chief, and as I understand it, a military man and good baseball player down in Middleburg in his younger years.”

Brame said he has fond memories of being invited to eat holiday dinners at Breedlove and wife Lib’s home as a young deputy. Elizabeth “Lib” Breedlove preceded her husband in death in 2016.

“We were always welcome in his home,” stated Brame. “That meant a lot to me being a young deputy – for the high sheriff to invite me into his home. I learned a lot from him. I take a lot of that, and I use it today. He will certainly be missed throughout the law enforcement community of Vance County.”