Decorated trooper has history of helping

Thorpe earned the Distinguished Service Award and Highway Patrol Meritorious Award for going beyond the call of duty and using what a supervisor called "outstanding judgement" when he suspected a trio of children was being abused.

Thorpe stopped a car en route to Myrtle Beach and noticed signs of abuse among the three children inside, the highway patrol said.

After trying unsuccessfully to locate help for the children from social services, Thorpe got permission to take the children to his home, where he cared for them until their mother could arrive.

“His level of service exemplifies what it means to be a state employee - to serve others,” said Col. Michael Gilchrist, commander of the Highway Patrol.

Thorpe has other accolades on his record. He received the department’s second highest award in May 2008 after performing CPR on a woman who suffered a heart attack after a crash on Highway 70 in Clayton. Doctors credited him with saving the woman's life.

A month later, he helped deliver a baby for Beverly and David Simmons.