GBI agents participate in Torch Run

Apr. 16—A pair of special agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region 6 Office in Milledgeville participated in the annual Torch Run to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics Georgia on Tuesday morning.

It's something that the GBI and many other law enforcement agencies have done for more than four decades.

As the guardians of the flame, officers from law enforcement agencies across the state volunteer countless hours every year to generate ongoing awareness about the mission of the Special Olympics and help secure crucial grassroots resources, according to the Special Olympics Georgia website.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) is the largest annual fundraising event benefiting Special Olympics Georgia.

Every year, more than 1,000 law enforcement officers from more than 100 local and state agencies participate in the two-week torch relay that covers 1,000 miles. The relay event allows runners to pass the Special Olympics Georgia "Flame of Hope" across the Peach State.

The torch run actually began in 1981 when Wichita, Kansas, Police Chief Richard LaMunyon recognized there was an urgent need to help raise funds and public awareness for the Special Olympics.

The Torch Run did not actually start in Georgia until 1986.

On Tuesday, one of the first local runners to carry the torch through a portion of Milledgeville was GBI Special Agent Mason Manning.

Agent Manning ran from the Kroger store to Georgia Highway 22, while GBI Special Agent Russel Freel ran from Georgia 22 to Allen Memorial Drive in Baldwin County, according to Mary Chandler, special agent in-charge of the GBI Region 6 Office in Milledgeville.

Deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office provided safety for the runners along the route as did officers with the Johns Creek Police Department.

Later Tuesday, GBI Special Agent Corey Haynes from the GBI Region 12 Office in Eastman carried the torch for several miles before he turned it over to a fellow relay runner.