Slain York Co. deputy ‘made his mark’ in drug battle. How will he be remembered?

York County legislators are moving to rename part of Carowinds Boulevard in honor of slain sheriff’s detective Mike Doty, who died Jan. 17 after being shot on duty.

The York County Legislative Delegation, in the General Assembly from both political parties, has sponsored legislation to name the road, from Interstate 77 to the North Carolina state line in northern York County.

The stretch of road would be called “Detective Mike Doty Memorial Highway.”

Passage of the name change is almost assured, legislators said.

Such resolutions for fallen officers have been ratified unanimously, by both the S.C. House of Representatives and Senate, said Rep. Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill. Legislators hope to have the measuare ratified quickly, and the dedication and signs up by spring.

“There is no doubt this will happen,” Simrill said. “Mike Doty was a hero, who gave his life for his community.”

The S.C. Senate passed the resolution unanimously Thursday, said Sen. Wes Climer, R-Rock Hill.

“We as a delegation are united in our support of the sacrifice and service of Mike Doty,” Climer said. The House could ratify the measure as early as Tuesday, Simrill said.

Doty, 37, was killed in what police said was an ambush by a domestic violence suspect outside York. Three other officers were wounded, and are recovering.

Doty, who lived in Fort Mill, and was part of the county drug unit, was hired in 2006 by Rep. Bruce Bryant, R-York. Bryant was York County Sheriff from 1997 to 2016.

Bryant said that naming Carowinds Boulevard for Doty will be a reminder of the fallen officer’s sacrifice, for not just residents, but anyone who visits York County, Bryant said.

“This will be a great way for the community, and every person who drives on the stretch of highway, to remember Mike Doty,” Bryant said.

Doty’s work as a drug agent, to rid the county of narcotics, often took place along the same stretch of road that will bear his name, said Simrill and Bryant.

“That road is where Mike Doty made his mark as a servant to the public,” Bryant said.

The naming of the road for an officer killed on duty would be the third in York County in a decade.

South Carolina legislators last year voted unanimously to name a section Dave Lyle Boulevard in Rock Hill for sheriff’s deputy James Brent McCants. McCants was killed on duty in 1992, when he was ambushed.

An official memorial for McCants had been near the site on Dave Lyle Boulevard since shortly after his death, but the road was not dedicated for McCants until 2017. York County Sheriff Kevin Tolson pushed for that honor for McCants, Simrill said.

All area legislators sponsored the road renaming in honor of McCants last year, and they want to work quickly to do the same for Doty, Simrill said.

In 2010, part of S.C. 274 near Lake Wylie was named for York County Cpl. Kevin Cusack of the S.C. Highway Patrol. Cusack died in a traffic wreck on duty in Chester County in early 2010.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Slain York Co. deputy ‘made his mark’ in drug battle. How will he be remembered?."