Medal Recipient Search
Christopher S. Robertson, Calverton Park Police Department
2019 Class
Awarded on: 10/13/2020
Medal of Valor
On Dec. 17, 2019, Corporal Robertson responded to assist the Ferguson Police Department after a 10-year-old boy had fallen from a diving board into the closed public pool at January-Wabash Park. There was about seven feet of water in the pool and the air temperature was 32 degrees. Upon arrival, a Ferguson officer was already in the water. He had pulled the child up from under the water, but the officer was now struggling due to the icy water and the physical exertion of propping up the lifeless child. The officer was fatigued and now in danger himself. Corporal Robertson immediately jumped into the pool. He prioritized rescuing the rescue of the child. Once the youngster was out of the water, Corporal Robertson worked to rescue the Ferguson officer. He got him to the edge of the pool, where others responders pulled him to safety. The child, who had been in the water for an estimated 20 minutes, received CPR at the scene and was flown by helicopter to a children’s hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the next day. Without regard for his own life, Corporal Robertson courageously jumped into the icy pool and successfully pulled out two people. The Ferguson officer survived.
Duane K. Greer, Christopher R. Erb Jr., Patrick A. Ferguson, James J. Fuchs and Joshua A. Roth, St. Louis Fire Department
2019 Class
Awarded on: 10/13/2020
Governor's Medal
On Aug. 15, 2019, the St. Louis Fire Department was dispatched to a second floor apartment in Lafayette Square with smoke showing. Upon arrival, neighbors gave no indication anyone was inside the apartment. Captain Erb, Firefighter Ferguson, Firefighter Fuchs and Firefighter Roth all pushed up the stairs through the heat and smoke to conduct the primary search. First, Firefighter Ferguson located a child behind a bedroom door. Captain Erb then radioed that he had found another young victim. Multiple medic units were requested. Eventually, the team located a total of four children under four years old in the smoke-filled rear bedroom, one was in a closet, two were in a children’s play tent. All of the children were rushed from the building; three were in cardiac arrest; one was semi-conscious. CPR was performed on three of the children in the front yard of the apartment building. Because of the narrow streets and the number of fire trucks on the scene, the medic units were at a distance from the scene. With extreme professionalism, under the command of Battalion Chief Duane K. Greer and in accordance with their training, the firefighters performing CPR acted with dispatch to carry the children to the medic units. The children, including 18-month-old twin, were treated at a hospital and within two hours all were breathing on their own and considered stable. The St. Louis Fire Department team performed flawlessly as they saved four young lives, from executing a thorough primary search and locating each young child in a smoke-filled apartment to providing critical life-saving care on the scene.
Jason C. Gamm, Rick L. Shannon and Wesley W. Teague, nominated by the Trenton Police Department
2019 Class
Awarded on: 10/13/2020
Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award
On June 14, 2019, Trenton Police Department Officer Jasmine E. Diab was transporting a prisoner to a mental health evaluation. During transport, near Winston, Mo., the prisoner assaulted Officer Diab, and in a struggle the officer was shot in the abdomen and the prisoner was shot in the hand. The prisoner tried to take control of the vehicle and, positioned on top of the officer, attempted to drive away from the scene. Officer Diab continued to fight the prisoner. Several passing civilian motorists realized the officer was in extreme danger. Jason Gamm and Rick Shannon heard one of the gunshots. Shannon retrieved a gun from his vehicle and gave it to Gamm. Gamm and Wesley Teague approached the rear of the police vehicle. Gamm carefully moved around the vehicle to the driver’s door and managed to pull the prisoner from the vehicle. The prisoner continued to fight. At this point, Teague grabbed the prisoner’s legs with his arms. Shannon assisted holding him on the ground. All three civilians held the prisoner until law enforcement arrived and took him into custody. Officer Diab was hospitalized and continues to recover. There is no doubt that if not for the heroic actions of Gamm, Shannon and Teague, who acted without concern for their own safety, Officer Diab might have been killed.
Thomas E. Hutsler II, nominated by the Platte County Sheriff’s
2019 Class
Awarded on: 10/13/2020
Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award
On July 9, 2019, Thomas Hutsler was at a motor vehicle licensing office in Kansas City, in Platte County, when there was a commotion at the counter. A woman in a loud threatening voice told a clerk, “What do I need to do, show you my gun?” As she stormed out of the office past Hutsler, he overheard her say, “You haven’t seen the last of me.” Recognizing the danger, Hutsler instructed his son to remain inside as he headed to the parking lot. Hutsler then observed the woman pull a handgun out of her handbag. She fired the gun in the parking lot and then headed for the license office. Hutsler blocked the office door and told her she was not reentering the building. During a verbal confrontation, the woman brandished her weapon before placing it back in her bag and heading toward her vehicle. Hutsler warned other people in the parking lot to beware of the armed woman. The license office went on lockdown. Hutsler started his truck and maneuvered it to block the woman’s car. At this point, an off-duty officer drew his gun and, when the woman exited her vehicle, he ordered her to get on the ground. Hutsler used the officer’s phone to relay the events to a dispatcher. The woman refused the officer’s commands; Hutsler got behind her, wrapped his arms around her and took her to the ground. Kansas City Police soon arrived. Police say the woman’s gun was loaded with a bullet in the chamber. In a highly dangerous situation in a public area with many lives in the balance, Thomas Hutsler acted with fearlessness and daring to protect his fellow citizens from harm.
James W. Whitley II and Robert J. Whitley, nominated by Missouri State Highway Patrol
2019 Class
Awarded on: 10/13/2020
Public Safety Civilian Partnership Award
On the evening of Aug. 3, 2019, a pontoon boat was floating down the Mississippi River near Hannibal with seven people aboard. A tow rope had become wrapped around the boat’s propeller, causing the motor to fail. The boat floated in front of four raked barges moored on the Illinois side of the river. Cousins James and Robert Whitley were upstream in a 20-foot jon boat with a 75-horsepower engine when they noticed the pontoon was in distress and immediately set out to help. When they were about 100 yards away, the pontoon hit a barge and capsized. Some of the occupants were in the water, others were clinging to the barge as best they could. The Whitleys entered the very dangerous area in front of the barges. They threw a life jacket to a man in the water and next recued a two-year-old child. Carefully maneuvering their small boat in and out of the danger zone, they rescued three more people who were clinging to the barge. As they fought the current, the jon boat twice almost capsized. They pulled a lifeless body from the water and administered CPR, to no avail. By now, the person they had thrown a life jacket to had been rescued downstream by a tow boat. The body of a second deceased victim was recovered the next day. On the dangerous Mississippi River, fighting the current, swirling water and debris in a small, lightweight boat, James and Robert Whitley, acted quickly, selflessly and with undaunted courage, placing themselves in harm’s way and saving the lives of five people.
Matthew W. Neely, Missouri State Highway Patrol
2018 Class
Awarded on: 10/07/2019
Medal of Valor
On March 19, 2018, Troop H communications broadcast that a man and woman suspected in a residential theft in Ridgeway, Missouri, had just fled in a silver Ford Taurus. Trooper Neely spotted the vehicle southbound on Interstate 35. Before Trooper Neely could attempt to stop the vehicle, the driver exited the interstate and crashed into a utility pole. As Neely arrived on scene, the driver and passenger exited the vehicle with the driver fleeing on foot. Trooper Neely informed the passenger she was under arrest and ordered her to remain with the vehicle. Then, as Neely pursued the driver on foot across an open field, the man turned and fired multiple shots at Trooper Neely. The trooper attempted to take cover as best he could. Once the gunfire stopped, Trooper Neely radioed that shots had been fired and advanced on the gunman while commanding him to drop his weapon. The gunman attempted to re-engage Trooper Neely. The trooper fired several shots, striking the gunman twice and ending the threat. Trooper Neely and another trooper provided first aid until medical assistance arrived. The gunman survived. Despite being fired upon, Trooper Neely exhibited exceptional courage and tenacity by advancing on an armed felon, apprehending him, and ending the threat.
Shawn D. Fields, Stone County Sheriff’s Office
2018 Class
Awarded on: 10/07/2019
Medal of Valor
On July 19, 2018, Sergeant Fields was off-duty and working security at the Showboat Branson Belle. At approximately 7 p.m., while Sergeant Fields was on an upper level entry platform, a severe storm with near-hurricane force winds quickly developed. Observing that a tourist duck boat was in trouble as it attempted to return to shore against the 70 mile per hour winds and heavy waves, Fields ran down a set of stairs and across the deck to the back of the showboat, positioning himself beside the paddle wheel. Sergeant Fields notified dispatch that the duck boat was sinking and that he was going into the water in a rescue attempt. Fields removed his duty gear and handed it to a Branson Belle employee. He then stripped down to his pants, grabbed a life jacket and, without concern for his own safety, dived into the turbulent water. Fields helped pull multiple people to safety and, unfortunately, removed several victims who did not survive the tragedy in which 17 people died. In the midst of a dangerous, unrelenting storm, Sergeant Fields took immediate and decisive action. Without specialized equipment, he bravely risked his own life by jumping into roiling Table Rock Lake to save lives.
Jeremy E. Bratton and Kyle B. Schmidt, St. Charles Police Department
2018 Class
Awarded on: 10/07/2019
Medal of Valor
On December 28, 2018, at six minutes before midnight, 911 received a desperate call for help. A dispatcher heard gunshots, and then the female caller went silent. As the first St. Charles Police Department officers approached the house where the 911 call originated, a white Chevy pickup was pulling away. Officers radioed a vehicle description. The officers made a forced entry into the locked single family residence and discovered three victims dead from gunshot wounds and a 39-year-old woman mortally wounded. As officers administered first aid to the victim, a shots fired call rang out over the police radio. Officers Bratton and Schmidt had seen the pickup leaving the subdivision and activated their lights and siren. The suspect initially fled, and then stopped. As Officer Bratton shouted verbal commands, the suspect, Richard Emery, fired repeatedly at Officer Bratton. Bratton’s patrol vehicle was hit multiple times, but, miraculously, Bratton was not hit. Officers Bratton and Schmidt returned fire but the gunman was able to flee on foot into the darkness. Police launched a search. A short time later, a woman was stabbed seven times in a failed carjacking attempt. Almost seven and a half hours after the first 911 call, a man was found bleeding profusely in the restroom of a St. Charles gas station. Officers quickly took the wounded Richard Emery into custody. Emery’s abandoned pickup had contained an assault-style rifle, magazines, and boxes of ammunition. Officers Bratton and Schmidt had fearlessly engaged a violent, heavily-armed gunman suspected in four killings. The officers’ shooting and wounding of Emery ultimately led to his capture and the end of the threat to the community.
Cody B. Ross, Jason M. Huff, Cade A. Thompson, Andrew W. Fritzinger, Missouri Department of Corrections; Richard W. Bashor, Cameron Police Department; and Bradley R. Muck, Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop H
2018 Class
Awarded on: 10/07/2019
Governor's Medal
At 8 p.m. on May 12, 2018, approximately 209 offenders in two dining halls in the Central Services Building at the Crossroads Correctional Center refused to leave and stated they were staging a protest. The Corrections team notified all housing units to go on lock down, which prevented an escalation to other areas of the facility. Conditions quickly deteriorated when offenders breached the kitchen area, obtained potentially dangerous cooking utensils, and began vandalizing the kitchen. Offenders broke out windows and damaged doors and locks, allowing them to access unsecured areas of the facility and do even more destruction. The correctional center’s food service employees, corrections officers, and other staff were at risk. Corrections Supervisor I (Captain) Ross, Corrections Officer III (Lieutenant) Huff, Corrections Supervisor I (Captain) Thompson, and Corrections Officer III (Lieutenant) Fritzinger acted decisively, first attempting to deescalate the situation and then moving swiftly to evacuate staff members as the threat level increased. Corrections officers bravely put their own safety at risk as they inserted themselves into volatile areas to extricate personnel and remove them from the building. In a turbulent situation that could have easily devolved into chaos, the Corrections team tactically deployed pepper spray and tear gas and secured doors. They helped evacuate and secure 131 surrendering offenders, containing inside the 78 holdouts, who caused extensive structural and property damage. Because of their brave actions, no staff members were injured, and no offenders sustained serious injuries.
Daniel B. Tscherny, Jason G. Bogema, Tony C. Fields, Joshua W. Bravestone, Zachary L. Keller, Garett L. Olson, Tyler R. Nevins, and Dustin C. Matney, Springfield Fire Department
2018 Class
Awarded on: 10/07/2019
Governor's Medal
At approximately 8:15 p.m. on September 7, 2018, during extremely heavy rainfall and flash flooding, Greene County Deputy Sheriff Aaron Paul Roberts radioed that his vehicle had been washed off a road in northern Greene County. The Fair Grove Fire Protection District was dispatched and informed that the vehicle was floating down Cabin Creek in swift water conditions. There had been no further contact with the deputy. Because of its water rescue capabilities, the Springfield Fire Department was immediately requested to assist. High, rushing water from the intense storm had inundated a bridge in the area, and the roiling creek and debris had pushed 100 yards beyond its banks. There was no sight of Deputy Roberts’ vehicle as the flooding worsened. Battling darkness and these dangerous conditions, firefighters and Greene County Sheriff’s deputies began searching for Deputy Roberts. Because the area was so heavily wooded, boating operations were terminated. Aircraft could not assist due to the weather conditions. With the water still rising, a foot search was conducted along both sides of the creek. After more than two hours, Deputy Roberts’ patrol vehicle was spotted about 450 yards downstream. Conditions still prevented boat operations. Despite the lack of contact with Deputy Roberts, the darkness, and extremely dangerous conditions, the Springfield team was determined to reach the vehicle in an effort to rescue the deputy as quickly as possible. In the darkness, the rescue team tied off to trees and utilized rope lines. The effort required a skilled team risking their own lives in a lengthy, highly technical operation. Working as one, the team of Rescue Specialist Tscherny, Captain Bogema, Firefighter Fields, Firefighter Bravestone, Firefighter Keller, Firefighter Olson, Firefighter Nevins, and Firefighter Matney reached the vehicle and recovered the body of Deputy Roberts. The Springfield team was nominated by Fair Grove Fire Department Chief Erich Higgins, who had first established command at the scene and was moved by the team’s courage and concern for a fellow public during the hours-long effort.