Cape Fear Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement (BLET) students’ recent involvement in the search for 83-year-old Alma Lawson was the first time they were able help law enforcement find a missing person.
Benjamin Carson, 24, a Cape Fear BLET student, went on the search with Wilmington Police Department detectives the day they found a trail of evidence that ultimately led to Lawson’s body near the Love Grove Community. (See related story.)
According BLET Director Chief John H. Ward, the Wilmington Police Department contacted him about a week before the day of the search for Lawson to ask for assistance.
At about 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, BLET students had a briefing about the general area the students would search. Students then headed to the Love Grove community, where they split up to search the area. On the day the body was found, Ward said the students were walking down the railroad track and Carson saw something in the bushes down a steep embankment.
Carson said the colorful item turned out to be a purple hat investigators thought may have belonged to Lawson. From that, Carson said he and WPD detectives followed a trail of items—a shoe, some keys—and then Carson noticed something floating in the water in the marsh.
“And upon getting closer and looking at it, we realized that it was, in fact, a body,” Carson said. “It would have been extremely easy to miss if I wouldn’t have actually went through the brush. Because there were briers, I actually had to physically open it up to see down in there.”
“It was one of those things where we were in the right place at the right time…because we have to maintain a chain of control with the evidence, we did not do anything without one of the Wilmington officers with us,” Ward said.
It was Carson’s first time assisting in an investigation that led to the discovery of a body.
“It was an experience. I’m just glad we helped out,” Carson said. “That was the main reason we were out there, to help out the family, and the training was second to that.”
The search offered students a real-world experience interacting with police officers, detectives and command staff, Ward said.
“Now, I will tell you that it was a very sad that we had to do it that way, but we were glad to have maybe contributed a little bit in finding this lady and [help] bring it to closure,” Ward said.
Carson is one of nearly 20 students who assisted the Wilmington police in their search for Lawson.
Carson joined the U.S. Army as a combat engineer when he was 19, and served for three years in Texas and Korea. Carson joined the BLET program in September.
Originally from Bolivia, Carson is sponsored by the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office in the BLET class, and is set to graduate Feb. 1.
“It’s been great so far. It’s been enjoyable. Probably the most fun I have had was the driver’s training. I learned a lot there, and made a few mistakes and learned from my mistakes in the driver’s training,” Carson said. “But all-in-all, it’s a lot of book work, but definitely worth it.”
BLET training
According to Ward, there are 36 different areas students cover in the course, and at the end of each block of instruction, students are required to pass a written examination. Students train for 19 weeks and the BLET program has more than 130 instructors that teach in these courses—all of whom are police officers, sheriff’s deputies or state officers.
Students cover all areas of law enforcement, including Constitutional law, criminal law, finger printing, dealing with victims, firearms and driving.
Ward began his career in law enforcement in 1972.
“I spent 26 years in active law enforcement as a chief of police…so this is the love of my life almost, other than my wife,” Ward said.
“As much as you hate to say it, it was a great opportunity for these students to be actively involved in a real-life scenario. We try to team up with all our partnering agencies in any way that we can to help them. They’re not experienced officers, but as far as eyes on the ground, they’re absolutely wonderful for that.
“The training is invaluable. But at the same time, you have to be sensitive. Were the students excited about the possibility of not only being able to help find someone, but working with law enforcement? Absolutely. But that excitement is tempered by what it’s about—someone tragically lost their life, and you never want that to be forgotten,” Ward said.
