ThinBlueNews Memorial Wall

Master Deputy Michael Wade Hendricks

Charleston County Sheriff's Office, South Carolina
End of Watch: Wednesday, September 9, 2026

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. — ThinBlueNews remembers Master Deputy Michael Wade Hendricks of the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, whose End of Watch was Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

Update, September 19: Sheriff Carl Ritchie posthumously promoted Hendricks to master deputy during the September 16 memorial service. ODMP subsequently updated its record to include his middle name, new rank and badge number 245. ThinBlueNews has updated this stable memorial rather than creating a second article.

The Officer Down Memorial Page identifies Hendricks as a 33-year-old master deputy and classifies his line-of-duty death as an automobile crash. ODMP records more than three years of service with the Charleston County Sheriff's Office.

On-duty collision under investigation

Live 5 News, reporting details from South Carolina Highway Patrol Cpl. Nick Pye, said the crash happened at about 11:45 a.m. on Ladson Road near Industrial Center Drive. A tractor-trailer traveling east and a Charleston County Sheriff's Office pickup traveling west collided. The pickup driver was fatally injured; the tractor-trailer driver was taken to a hospital with injuries.

The sheriff's office identified Hendricks as the deputy driving the pickup and confirmed he was on duty. The agency said he had served as a Charleston County deputy since April 2023. Sheriff Carl Ritchie remembered Hendricks as someone who showed up ready to serve, help people and make a difference.

Posthumous promotion to master deputy

WCIV ABC News 4 reported from the September 16 service that Sheriff Ritchie announced Hendricks' posthumous promotion to master deputy, a rank he had been working toward. Live 5 News and The Post and Courier independently reported the same announcement. ODMP now lists him as Master Deputy Michael Wade Hendricks, badge 245.

Corroboration and investigation status

FOX Carolina separately reported the same collision details and the sheriff's office identification. Both outlets reported that the South Carolina Highway Patrol was continuing to investigate the crash.

The circumstances remain under investigation. ThinBlueNews is not assigning fault or presenting a theory of the collision.

Master Deputy Michael Wade Hendricks is remembered for his service to Charleston County and for the family, friends, colleagues and community who now carry his memory.

End of Watch

Master Deputy Michael Wade Hendricks
Badge 245
Charleston County Sheriff's Office
South Carolina
End of Watch: Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Age: 33
Service: More than three years with Charleston County
Cause listed by ODMP: Automobile crash
Investigation: South Carolina Highway Patrol

Sources and visual note

Visual note: ThinBlueNews found attributable photographs but did not establish publication-level reuse authority for an officer portrait during this run. It therefore created an original typography memorial. No portrait, synthetic likeness, representative incident image, badge, seal or invented uniform detail is used.

This remains an active investigation. ThinBlueNews will update this stable memorial if authorities release materially new verified information. Corrections may be submitted through our corrections and editorial standards page.