Trio joins Boone Police Department
By Melanie Davis

The Boone Police Department recently hired three new officers to the force.

Jason Wendell Stopper, 28, of Ashe County, was a captain in the U.S. Army and has completed tours in Afganistan and South Korean. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Stopper’s brother, Justin, is also an officer in Junction City, Kan. Stopper’s wife, Emily, is a dentist in Ashe County.

Stopper joined the force on January 22, on the same date as Dalton Scott Cash.

Cash, 46, was born in Winston-Salem and currently resides in Watauga County. Cash served four years in the Marine Corp. He graduated from Belmont Abbey College with a degree in computer science.

Before becoming an officer, Cash had been employed by various banks and technology systems working with information technology.

On Jan. 23, Dennis Edwin O’Neal II, 28, began his employment with BPD. He is a Watauga County resident and a graduate of Appalachian State University with a bachelor of science degree in psychology.