DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — NewsNation affiliate WGHP has learned more about the legacy of a telecommunicator from Davidson County.
Laura Everhart passed away following complications from a surgery on Sunday, shortly after she was chosen as the employee of the year. She was engaged to be married and leaves behind her fiancé Randy.
Those at the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office says Laura Everhart was a lifeline for them. She was the shining example of how to be calm in a high-pressure job.
Laura Everhart was Deputy Christian Soles’ first work friend when she moved here in 2022.
“I hated that we were not closer than we were. I did not utilize the time I had with her, and I appreciated everything that she did for us and the agency, myself included,” Everhart said.
Although this was a budding friendship, Deputy Soles says Everhart was her biggest cheerleader.
“I’m so grateful I have you in this county, because these calls are changing. You are already making an impact,” Soles said.
Soles says, with the shortage of telecommunicators, those like Everhart are usually working extraordinarily long hours, which shows her dedication to the job. The Davidson County 911 center says Everhart alone answered 15,799 calls in a year.
She was the calm during a crisis.
“Their stress levels are at least at what ours are at times, if not even more. I can’t imagine, you know, taking a call and being on the radio and hearing things and there is nothing you can do,” Sgt. Chris Azelton, from the youth and crime prevention unit, said.
Everhart’s hard work didn’t go unnoticed. She was named Davidson County 911’s employee of the year in 2024. And Everhart stood out for a reason.
“Making sure we get all the information, even if it wasn’t necessary at the time, it might be. She was so good about doing that ahead of time because it can get someone killed,” Soles said.
She was that steady voice, saving lives, with each and every emergency call.
Soles says Everhart’s legacy continues to live on through the dispatchers she has trained.