CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's generally not a good thing to have law enforcement called to your birthday party, but one beloved custodian was thrilled to learn the Mecklenburg County sheriff was the one throwing his!

John Phillips has been a custodian at the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office for almost six years and has never missed a day of work. Sheriff Garry McFadden decided to celebrate Phillips' hard work, and his 90th birthday, with a surprise party.

“If it had been any stronger I might have had a heart attack!” Phillips said of the emotions he felt. “That’s how shocked I was. I started crying. Water just ran out of my eyes. I got weak in the knees and couldn’t half talk,” he said.

Phillips was given a plaque honoring his birthday and a framed portrait to be hung in the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office lobby.