South Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate

S 570 — Medal of Valor - Anderson Co. Sergeants Ruff, McCown, and Earwood

Last action — Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced April 16, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR SERGEANTS HUNTER RUFF, DANIEL MCCOWN, AND STEPHEN EARWOOD OF THE ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND TO CONGRATULATE THEM ON BEING AWARDED THE SOUTH CAROLINA SHERIFFS' ASSOCIATION 2024 MEDAL OF VALOR.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

56 added · 8 removed

Plain-language change summary

The recent amendment to Bill S 570 recognizes and honors three sergeants from the Anderson County Sheriff's Office for their heroic actions in saving a child's life during a highly dangerous kidnapping situation. This amendment highlights not only their bravery but also the importance of recognizing law enforcement officers who go above and beyond in their duties. It matters because it spotlights the sacrifices made by officers and can help foster community respect and support for law enforcement.

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2025-2026 Bill 570 Text of Previous Version (Apr.
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16, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online South Carolina General Assembly126th Session, 2025-2026Bill 570Indicates Matter StrickenIndicates New Matter(Text matches printed bills.
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Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)                 A concurrent RESOLUTION   to RECOGNIZE AND HONOR SERGEANTS HUNTER RUFF, DANIEL MCCOWN, AND STEPHEN EARWOOD OF THE ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND TO CONGRATULATE THEM ON BEING AWARDED THE SOUTH CAROLINA SHERIFFS' ASSOCIATION MEDAL OF VALOR.
  Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are pleased to learn that Sergeants Hunter Ruff, Daniel McCown, and Stephen Earwood of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office were awarded the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association 2024 Medal of Valor on April 23, 2025, for courageously taking swift and decisive action in the face of extreme danger, thus saving a child's life;
and   Whereas, the award is presented annually to law enforcement officers who perform actions above and beyond the call of duty;
exhibit exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness, and presence of mind;
or act with unusual swiftness, regardless of personal safety, in an attempt to save or protect human life;
and   Whereas, on May 8, 2024, deputies from the Special Investigations Division assisted in the attempted apprehension of Joshua Dornellas, who had kidnapped his son, Bennett Dornellas, earlier that same day.
Deputies located Joshua and followed him along Interstate 85 into Georgia, where Georgia law enforcement initiated a pursuit.
During the chase, Joshua set his vehicle on fire and abandoned it while it was still in motion, leaving Bennett trapped inside.
The burning truck veered off the roadway, up an embankment, and into the woods, where it quickly became fully engulfed in flames;
and   Whereas, upon arrival at the scene, law enforcement officers made immediate attempts to extinguish the fire.
Demonstrating extraordinary bravery, Sergeant Ruff entered the burning vehicle through the driver's window and located Bennett on the driver's side floorboard.
Unable to exit while holding the child, he was assisted by Sergeant Earwood, who pulled him and Bennett from the vehicle.
Bennett had sustained severe burns, and Sergeant McCown immediately began administering critical first aid.
With EMS still en route, the decision was made to transport Bennett to medical personnel without delay.
Sergeant Earwood carried Bennett to a law enforcement vehicle, where Sergeant McCown continued providing emergency care while Sergeant Ruff drove them to meet LifeFlight on Interstate 85.
According to flight medics and doctors, Bennett would not have survived without their swift, decisive, and heroic actions;
and   Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly appreciate the courage and dedication of law enforcement officers like Sergeants Hunter Ruff, Daniel McCown, and Stephen Earwood who put their lives on the line every day and who provide safety and security to protect the citizens of our great State.
Now, therefore,   Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
  That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor Sergeants Hunter Ruff, Daniel McCown, and Stephen Earwood of the Anderson County Sheriff's Office and congratulate them on being awarded the South Carolina Sheriffs' Association Medal of Valor.
  Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Sergeants Hunter Ruff, Daniel McCown, and Stephen Earwood.
----XX--- This web page was last updated on April 16, 2025 at 01:10 PM
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Action History

  1. Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence

  2. Introduced, adopted, sent to House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 169 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (169)

169 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 570 do?
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR SERGEANTS HUNTER RUFF, DANIEL MCCOWN, AND STEPHEN EARWOOD OF THE ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND TO CONGRATULATE THEM ON BEING AWARDED THE SOUTH CAROLINA SHERIFFS' ASSOCIATION 2024 MEDAL OF VALOR.
Who sponsors S 570?
S 570 is sponsored by Senator Michael W. Gambrell.
What is the current status of S 570?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced April 16, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track S 570?
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