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Sheriff Joseph Lee Somerville Sr.
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The men and women of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office escorted former Sheriff Joseph Lee Somerville Sr. on Saturday to his final resting place, accompanied by the Charles County Sheriff's Office, Calvert County Sheriff's Office and many other emergency first responders in St. Mary's County as well as other jurisdictions.
Somerville was the first black deputy in St. Mary's County when he joined the Sheriff's Office in 1966 and became Maryland's first black Sheriff in 1977 when he was appointed to finish the remaining term of his predecessor Sheriff Sanger. Sheriff Somerville then went on to win election as the county's top law enforcement official in 1978 for a four-year term.
Rest in Peace, Sheriff Somerville.
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The funeral procession to St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Morganza
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Captain Steven Hall and the Sheriff's Office Color Guard
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The Color Guard escorting Sheriff Somerville's casket into St. Joseph's
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Sheriff Somerville's funeral procession entering Charles Memorial Gardens in Leonardtown
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Citizens expressing their thanks
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