Henry County Police Chief Nichols presented Officer Evan Williams with a “Chief’s Commendation” award because of his response to a call in early October.

“The award was presented for Officer Williams’s effort in diffusing a situation until negotiators could arrive on scene,” according to an HCPD statement. “The officer’s ability to stay calm, cool and collected played a major role in ending this call with a positive outcome.”

Williams, a two-year veteran of the department, assisted Hampton police on a call involving a suicide attempt. He encountered a man who was sitting in a tree house with a chainsaw and a handgun, according to the police report, and was successful in convincing him to come down and end the situation without incident.

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University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez