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| Sheriff Cameron and Delores Somerville |
Sheriff Tim Cameron, the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, the Maryland State Highway Administration, Maryland Senator Jack Bailey, Maryland Delegate Brian Crosby, Maryland Delegate Matt Morgan, the St. Mary's County Commissioners, several active and retired judges and the family of Sheriff Joseph Lee Somerville Sr. gathered on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, to celebrate the dedication of 10 miles of Route 5 after the Sheriff.
The section of Route 5 from its intersection with Hollywood Road in Leonardtown to its intersection with Route 235 in Mechanicsville was dedicated in honor of Sheriff Joseph Lee Somerville.
Sheriff Somerville became the first black deputy in St.
Mary’s County when he joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1966. Deputy Somerville, a
native of Loveville, was promoted to Lieutenant in 1976. The following year,
Lt. Somerville was appointed by Governor Marvin Mandel to continue the term of
Sheriff George Sanger, who passed away unexpectedly. Sworn in on the steps of
the courthouse in Leonardtown on March 1, 1977, Sheriff Somerville became the
first black Sheriff in St. Mary’s County and in the state of Maryland. In 1978,
Sheriff Somerville successfully ran for election to the office, becoming the
county’s and state’s first elected black Sheriff. He was also the sixth black
Sheriff in the United States at the time.
Sheriff Somerville retired from the Sheriff’s Office in 1982.
He continued to live in St. Mary’s County and two of his son’s followed in
their father’s footsteps as St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Deputies. He
died on April 1, 2021 at the age of 81.
Two of his sons, Kevin and Joe Lee Jr., followed in his footsteps and served with the St. Mary's Sheriff's Office as well.
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| Sheriff Cameron, Joseph Lee Somerville Jr., Kevin Somerville, Sgt. Brian Connelly and Cpl. Kenneth Flerlage |
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| Joseph Lee Somerville Jr. speaks about his father |
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| Cpl. Andrew Holton and Sheriff Cameron are the only two personnel still with the agency that were hired by Sheriff Somerville |
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| Sen. Jack Bailey and the Somerville family |
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| Del. Brian Crosby addresses the audience |
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| Del. Matt Morgan makes remarks |
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| Chaplain Gwen Bankins addresses the audience |
