SOUTH POINT – The votes are in and this year’s Ohio State Highway Patrol Ironton Post’s top trooper and radio dispatcher have been selected.

Friday, December 21, 2001

SOUTH POINT – The votes are in and this year’s Ohio State Highway Patrol Ironton Post’s top trooper and radio dispatcher have been selected.

Trooper Charles Knapp was selected 2001 Trooper of the Year and Drew E. Fry was the recipient of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Telecommunications Award.

Fellow officers at the station selected Knapp based on his leadership abilities, professional ethics, courteous treatment of others, enthusiastic work attitude and cooperation with supervisors, peers, and the public.

Knapp is now in contention for the District and State Trooper of the Year Award which will be announced at at later date.

Knapp joined the patrol in 1980 and has served at the Ironton Post since graduating from the academy in 1981. Knapp is originally from Chillicothe and is a graduate of Chillicothe High School and Ohio University-Chillicothe.

He also served four years in the U.S. Air Force where he was promoted to sergeant and received the Good Conduct Medal and Expert Marksman badge prior to his honorable discharge. Knapp also received the Trooper of the Year award in 1987 and has received a 15 years safe driving award.

Knapp and his wife, Gwendolyn, live in South Point with their two children, Andrew and Lisa.

Fry, a radio dispatcher at the post since last year, was selected by both troopers and radio dispatchers at the post based upon his technical job knowledge and ability, enthusiastic work attitude, teamwork, and prompt and courteous response to the public’s request for information and assistance.

Fry is from Ironton and currently attends Ohio University Southern Campus, majoring in criminal justice.