On Jan. 29, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office held its annual awards ceremony at New Heights Church, recognizing corrections and enforcement deputies, along with volunteers and other staff members. More than 50 employees received awards for their work in 2014; some of the top recipients are highlighted here.
Life Saving Award
• On Feb. 4, Deputy Albin Boyse and Reserve Deputy Wade Faircloth were about to book someone into the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center when they heard about an active shooter emergency at the Veterans Affairs complex. Without hesitating, they left and went to Building 17, where the shooting occurred. Both men, who have experience as tactical emergency medics, raced up the stairs to the fourth floor with medical gear.
After learning the shooter had been taken into custody, they tended to the man who had been shot; he had two gunshot wounds in his chest, both of his lungs were collapsed, he was bleeding internally and had a bullet lodged against his spine, causing paralysis. Boyse and Faircloth sealed his gunshot wound and reinflated the less damaged lung by performing a needle decompression, a difficult procedure that if done incorrectly can lead to serious injury or death.
They then helped the paramedics load him into the ambulance. Emergency room physicians said the man would have died if it weren’t for the fast medical attention the two deputies provided.
• Deputy Mike Johnson and Reserve Deputy Juan Cartagena were sent to check on an 83-year-old man who lives alone. The man’s daughter-in-law, who lives in northern Washington, said he wasn’t answering when she called the house and believed he was home sick. The pair went to the house, where they knocked on the doors and windows, but got no response. The man’s car was parked in the garage.
Johnson and Cartagena forced entry into the house and heard faint moaning sounds coming from a bedroom, where they found the man on the floor. He had apparently had a medical problem and was in critical condition. The man was transported to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, where he got lifesaving care.
• Deputies Bill Sofianos and Joe McGloughlin received a 911 call about a 16-year-old boy who was not breathing. The caller performed CPR until deputies arrived. Finding no pulse, the deputies used an automated external defibrillator, a device that shocks the heart, to revive the teen.
Citizen Service Medal
• Earlene “Sam” Anderson was heading to her last day of work at the Portland Opera on the morning of June 30, when she saw a man in a black pickup open fire on Vancouver traffic officer Dustin Goudschaal. She stopped her car and laid down during the shooting, then got out to help.
“He said, ‘Help me,'” Anderson said, and told her there was a bandage in his pants pocket. She began wrapping the bandage until another bystander stopped to help apply pressure to the wound and radio for help.
Anderson received the citizen service medal for putting her own life at risk to help a police officer.
• Dan Moore lives in the Truman neighborhood and volunteers his time removing graffiti all over Clark County as part of the Adopt-a-Highway program that he started for his neighborhood. He makes a point to drive along state Highway 500 almost every morning as he heads to work to look for graffiti. His goal is to prevent vandals from seeing their “work” on display.
Distinguished Service Medal
• Corrections Cmdr. Mike Anderson leads the Reentry Program at the Clark County Jail and has been working for years in the support services unit. Anderson once helped a 70-year-old woman get back to a Lewis County homeless shelter when she was released from jail. This woman had no resources in Clark County and no money to get back to the shelter without his help.
• Sgt. Kevin Allais works with several nonprofits outside of his normal duties with the major crimes unit. He leads the annual Santa’s Posse effort, which grows each year and currently gives gifts and supplies to more than 750 families during the winter holiday season. He also works with the Behind the Badge Foundation, the Honor Guard, the Special Olympics and Freedom Honor Flight. He’s been tasked with leading memorials for fallen officers several times and is recognized as an authority on line of duty deaths.
• Chris Luque led the investigation that dismantled an organized retail theft ring operating in Washington, Oregon and parts of Nevada that involved over 300 people and more than $2 million in illicit funds. Luque identified the leader of the scheme, 30-year-old Fred James Engh, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Once Engh was arrested, local retailers immediately noticed a drop in theft. JC Penney alone saw a 62 percent decrease in the number of returns, according to the sheriff’s office.
• Sgt. Fred Neiman and Lisa Stopper received an award for the their work on the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. The sheriff’s office earned the highest rating, which was attributed to Neiman and Stopper’s efforts. They compiled files for 386 accreditation standards, and planned the assessor visit, public hearings, interviews and logistics.
• Data analyst Brian Salsig applied for a Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority grant to combat auto theft. The $285,000 grant supports a full-time prosecutor dedicated to auto-related crimes, a resource that deputies had wanted, along with resources for larger auto crime projects. Salsig continues submitting reports and statistics to meet the requirements for the grant.
Sergeant of the Year
Sgt. Tim Bieber leads the regional SWAT team, which he’s been a part of for 16 years. He makes tactical assignments, monitors training, documents every mission and completes an annual audit and evaluation. The sheriff’s office said he’s willing to counsel anyone who calls him, day or night, and does an excellent job meeting the goals and needs of the group.
Deputy of the Year
Deputy Kevin Schmidt takes ownership of his assigned coverage area by identifying problems and making goals to resolve those problems, the sheriff’s office said. He’s empathetic toward the people he deals with.
He’s a field training officer, a certified firearms instructor, part of the mobile response team and the only employee trained in conducting firearm functionality examinations and test-firing weapons for investigative purposes.
Corrections Deputy of the Year
Corrections deputy Scott Gentry “believes in holding people accountable for their actions and that people can change,” the sheriff’s office said. He’s on the Reentry Program committee and helps inmates find resources that give them a greater chance of becoming productive members of the community. Gentry serves on the security response team, is a field training officer, and he is a firearms instructor and armorer.
Reserve Deputy of the Year
During Reserve Deputy Bob Byrd’s four years with the sheriff’s office, he’s cited more than 50 drivers for driving while suspended, arrested 12 people with outstanding warrants, written more than 100 traffic tickets and given over 400 warnings. He’s done traffic enforcement in response to public complaints and regularly monitors school zones.
He earned a certification for DUI detection and standardized field sobriety testing on his own volunteered time. In total, he’s volunteered 2,477 hours.
