Howard "Skip" Cole was the first to receive the Homicide Detective Award from the Florida State's Attorney Office, 7th Judicial Circuit. He joined the Saint John's County Sheriff's Office 10 years ago because he cares about people and has a keen desire to understand what makes people tick. He served as a Patrol Officer for a few years and in January 2002, Detective Cole joined the Violent Crimes Unit within the Criminal Investigations Division. Major Chuck West fondly remembered Detective Cole coming onto the team wide-eyed and curious. Detective Cole excelled quickly and was soon heading major cases. He has an uncanny ability to get to the truth, and often his criminals thank him for his compassionate approach to getting them to confess to the heinous crimes they have committed. He says, "The key is to treat people with dignity and respect". Detective Cole said unsolved cases consume his thoughts. It's difficult to rest when a killer or dangerous suspect is loose. Detective Cole was the recipient of a Meritorious Service Award in May of last year. He was assigned a cold case involving the disappearance of Alicia Eakins. She was reported missing in March 2000. At the time of her disappearance all leads were exhausted and the case was left unsolved and a family disheartened with the results. Detective Cole's determination and perseverance paid off on March 28, 2008 when the suspect, Ralph Faba confessed to her murder and led Investigators to her remains. As the investigation continued, during a subsequent interview with Faba, Detective Cole was able to obtain a confession of homicide in the death of Faba's father in 1999, in which the suspect received two additional 25 year sentences. Not only was he able to find Alicia's remains, he also brought justice for Faba's father whose death was previously ruled a suicide.