Funeral held for former Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Former Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree’s funeral was held on Friday morning.

The funeral began at 11 a.m. at Good Shepherd Baptist Church, the Rev. Karlton Howard officiating.

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Interment will follow at Noah’s Ark Baptist Church Cemetery in Waynesboro.

A viewing was held on Thursday at Good Shepherd Baptist Church from 2-6 p.m.

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News 12 first learned of Roundtree’s passing on April 11. He’d been in a metro Atlanta hospital with serious medical issues.

Several people spoke during the funeral service, but one deputy in particular spoke of Roundtree’s leadership.

“He was more than a sheriff. He was an innovator. He looked for better ways to serve. He led with integrity, courage and genuine commitment,” said the deputy.

Roundtree, 57, was the head law enforcement officer in Augusta for more than a decade − and when he took office in 2012, notably no sheriff had been like him.

He was the first African American elected to the title, something he spent a career working toward.

He was highly visible in the community, where he could frequently be seen in a vest, working a crime scene along with his deputies.

Former classmate Clarence Brown said he was proud of Roundtree for his work.

“I was proud of him for, for actually, you know, getting to that level. But at the same time I realized that that’s a heavy weight, especially being from the community, um, and, and to draw in the community,” Brown said. “And so I wanted him to know that there was somebody in his corner that didn’t need anything.”