NC Justice Academy honors deputies killed in Helene flooding in NC mountains

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The North Carolina Justice Academy this week honored two law enforcement officers who died late last month as flooding from Helene hit the North Carolina mountains.

Madison County Sheriff’s Capt. Michelle Quintero, 49, a mother of two and a grandmother died on Friday, Sept. 27 when she was caught in floodwaters from a broken dam as Helene dumped more than two feet of rain in the mountains.

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Deputy Charles James “Jim” Lau, of Macon County Sheriff’s Office, who also had grandchildren and was a father of five, died the next day when his truck was carried away by an overflowing river, officials said.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to the loved ones and colleagues,” the North Carolina Justice Academy wrote on Facebook along with “End of Watch” photos for each deputy.

North Carolina officials announced Friday morning that Lau and Quintero were among 95 people killed by the remnants of Helene.

“Their dedication and service will be remembered. Please continue to keep western North Carolina in your thoughts as they mourn these and other losses,” the Justice Academy wrote.

Quintero, who ran the Madison County jail, died while driving from her home in Yancy County to work on the day Helene hit — when a dam broke and she was caught in the floodwaters.

Quintero knew when she took the oath of office that she might one day “have to give it all,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Coy Phillips, her brother.

“From the juveniles we house to the most hardcore inmate we had, everybody loved her. She was one of those people who treated everybody right. She treated everybody fair,” Phillips said. “It didn’t matter who or what you were, she took care of everybody.”

Phillips said he was left heartbroken: “She was my everything.”

Michelle Quintero’s two children work at the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and her husband, Isaac, works at Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported.

The next day, Charles James “Jim” Lau of Macon County, died while he was on lunch break from his job as a courthouse security officer, according to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office received a call shortly before noon on Sept. 28 about a truck sinking in the Little Tennessee River with someone trapped inside, officials said.

Around the same time, officials realized that Deputy Lau had not returned from lunch, and his truck matched the description of the one in the river.

Rescue workers began searching that afternoon on foot and with drones, and several swift-water teams were called in. The search was suspended at sunset, but Lau’s body was found shortly after it resumed that morning.

“Jim was very liked and respected within our department,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “He was known to be a hard worker, dependable, and he jumped in wherever help was needed.”

Lau had already retired from other full-time law enforcement jobs and was working part-time at the Macon County Courthouse, his obituary said.

“Always known to go above and beyond, he never missed a chance to help someone. He was meticulous in his work and appearance and always took pride in the way he carried himself,” Lau’s obituary said.

Lau was a retired master sergeant from the United States Air Force. He also worked with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office for 23 years.

“While Jim valued his career, nothing was more important to him than family. His greatest joy in life was being ‘Grandpa’,” his obituary said.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Rodney Overton

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