Guilford County deputy earns statewide honor for underage drinking prevention

Deputy T. Howes was singled out statewide for work aimed at keeping underage drinking from turning into a crash, an arrest or a grieving family. Mothers Against Drunk Driving North Carolina named the Guilford County deputy sheriff its 2026 Underage Drinking Prevention Hero, an award for people who stop underage drinking through educational, awareness, policy or environmental strategies. Public payroll records list Tim Howes as a Guilford County Deputy Sheriff/Master Deputy, and the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office says its core job is protecting residents and reducing crime and fear of crime.

Howes has also taken the message beyond daily patrol work. He was listed on the North Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association’s annual conference agenda in September 2024 as a presenter on the dangers of impaired driving, underscoring that prevention depends on more than roadside enforcement alone. MADD North Carolina says its underage substance-use programs are free and are built to give youth and parents research-based tools to resist peer pressure and make healthy choices. Its Power of You(th) program reached more than 10,000 teens in 2022.

The numbers behind MADD’s work show why the issue lands hard in communities like Guilford County. In 2022, MADD North Carolina said it supported 96 victims and families, educated 1,121 first-time offenders through victim impact panels, supported more than 1,500 officers at sobriety checkpoints and monitored more than 2,900 DWI court cases. The group also recognized more than 200 law-enforcement officers and prosecutors at its annual banquet, a sign that prevention and enforcement are treated as part of the same public-safety chain.

For Guilford families, the meaningful result is not the plaque itself. It is fewer alcohol-related crashes on county roads, fewer checkpoint stops, and fewer young people pulled into victim impact panels or DWI court because a night out went wrong. NCDOT tracks alcohol-related crashes in Guilford County, and Guilford County public health says its broader health assessments are meant to identify pressing concerns, root causes and the social conditions that shape safety. MADD North Carolina’s work is part of a network in all 50 states, but the payoff is local: safer streets in Guilford County, one prevented bad decision at a time.