Unsung heroes from the City of Elizabethton were bestowed awards for their service on the front lines serving the community.
Attendees of Thursday’s City Council meeting were treated to stories of heroism by a handful of officers from the Elizabethton Police Department, with presentations of the department’s Life Saving Awards and Medals of Distinguished Service.
Prior to the award ceremony, City Manager Jerome took a moment to recognize the families of the five officers.
Captain Patrick White, Officer Kenneth Lowe and Sgt. Lincoln Orellana received the lifesaving awards for an incident that took place on July 17 on West G Street.
According to a report from the night, officers were dispatched to 2010 West G Street to a cardiac arrest call. Capt. White was the first to arrive on scene to assist the patient. With the patient showing no signs of life, Capt. White performed CPR on the patient. As Sgt. Orellana cleared the house for medical personnel, Officer Lowe arrived with an AED to provide shock to the patient. Following use of the AED and continual CPR, the patient started to breathe under his own power. EMS arrived on scene to transport the citizen to Sycamore Shoals, where he was able to breathe on his own.
Sgt. Doug Combs and Cpl. James Deese were also presented with medals of distinguished service for their response to a call on July 29.
A police report from the incident indicated officers were dispatched to 927 Pine Ridge Circle in response to a physical domestic disturbance call.
Reportedly, the subjects involved fled the scene in a vehicle, which was stopped by Cpl. Deese.
As the two subjects exited the vehicle, the male driver had an unknown object in his hand and was commanded to fall to the ground. According to the report, the female passenger approached officers with one hand behind her back and the other holding an open knife. During the confrontation, the female placed the knife against her throat, making statements that she was “going to kill herself.”
In a memo issued by Captain Anthony Buck, both officers “remained calm, and completed their tasks at hand.”
Cpl. Deese continued to cover the driver with his sidearm as Sgt. Combs approached the passenger within 15 feet of the armed female, placing himself in harm’s way to fire a taser.
“As any seasoned and trained officer knows, placing yourself within twenty-one feet of a person armed with a lethal cutting instrument poses a significant risk of harm or death. The incident was resolved without injury to either the officers, or the suspects. This was due to the fact the officers worked as a team, keeping their composure,” Capt. Buck continued in the memo.
Captain Jerry Bradley praised the efforts of each of the officers following both ceremonies.
Commending their work, Mayor Curt Alexander also took time at the conclusion of the meeting for attendees to remember the family of Wayne Markland, a longtime member of the department who recently passed away.