An auction to raise money for a cancer-stricken Barrow County detention officer raised over $3,000 according to event organizers.
Twenty-seven year old detention officer Alexander Matlaga is in the last stages of terminal cancer. Fellow Sheriff’s Office personnel held the silent auction to help pay Matlaga’s medical expenses.
“It was very successful,” said Sandra Mingus, one of the event organizers. According to Mingus, Matlaga is currently out of the hospital and has returned to Arizona to be with his family.
Capt. Bruce Bley, one of Matlaga’s coworkers, helped organize the fundraiser. Bley donated several pieces of pottery to be auctioned and also asked several fellow artists to contribute pieces for the fundraiser.
More than 60 pieces from a variety of artists were donated. Many of the pieces offered were from highly collectible artists who have been featured in regional and national collections and museums.
