Medal Recipient Search
Jay Brad King and Jason D. Sederwall, Jefferson City Police Department
2013 Class
Awarded on: 12/18/2014
Medal of Valor
On Dec. 10, 2013, a Jeep involved in a two-car collision on Highway 94 burst into flames, trapping the driver. Her legs and hips pinned and her legs were burning. Officer King (now a deputy with the Washington County (Ore.) Sheriff’s Department) was first on the scene, encountering flames shooting 10 feet above the car. He and Officer Sederwall (Cedar-wall), second on the scene, attempted to put out the blaze with their fire extinguishers. With no fire personnel on scene, the officers concentrated on protecting the victim’s legs as their extinguishers ran dry. Unable to open either of the driver’s side doors due to damage, Officer King used his ASP baton to break out the windows to evacuate the smoke from the passenger compartment so the victim could breathe. Entering from the right rear door, Officer King, despite his 7-foot-1 and 320-pound frame, crawled into the back of the Jeep, alternating between attempting to extricate and comfort the victim. Officer Sederwall continued assisting while positioned at the rear passenger door until firefighters arrived, extinguished the blaze and cut the victim from the wreckage. She had suffered third-degree burns to almost half her body, fractured bones, a collapsed lung and pneumonia. Firefighters agreed that if not for the efforts of officers King and Sederwall, she would not have survived.
Kyle M. Weiss, Pevely Police Department; and Nina M. Osia and Michael T. Toombs, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
2013 Class
Awarded on: 12/18/2014
Medal of Valor
In the early morning hours of Oct. 11, 2013, Sheriff’s Deputies Osia and Toombs received permission to search a residence in rural Jefferson County where a man was wanted for a felony and fugitive warrant. As Deputy Osia walked down the stairs into the basement, she spotted a gunman crouched with an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle. Deputy Osia attempted to push Deputy Toombs, who was behind her, and yelled, “He’s got a gun!” The gunman began firing at both deputies, hitting Deputy Osia in her leg and knocking her to the floor. Deputy Toombs quickly began to drag Deputy Osia out of the line of fire while returning fire at the gunman. Deputy Toombs was then struck in the left arm by at least two bullets from the gunman. Both deputies worked to cover one another as they returned fire, and they administered first aid to each other. They radioed for backup units, but the gunman escaped. Six hours later, Pevely Police Officer Kyle Weiss was one of five officers who responded to a residence just a few blocks away from the original scene after receiving a tip. Officer (now Sergeant) Weiss was stationed in front of the house. As an entry team cleared a barricaded room, the gunman broke out a window and ran out of the house. Officer Weiss saw the gunman approaching and ordered him to stop and drop his weapon. Instead, he turned toward Weiss and raised his weapon to fire. To protect his own life and the safety of others, Officer Weiss fired two shots, fatally wounding the gunman. While under fire and wounded, deputies Oh-she and Toombs, who combined had just 12 months experience as deputies, acted as a team to protect each other and responding officers. Hours later, Officer Weiss did not retreat to cover but instead eliminated an immediate threat to him and the public.
Justin Glen Wooten, Scott County Sheriff’s Department
2013 Class
Awarded on: 12/18/2014
Medal of Valor
At approximately 2:30 a.m. on May 25, 2013, Deputy Wooten responded to a chaotic scene: two freight trains had collided and derailed, collapsing the Route M overpass near Rockview in Scott County. A diesel fire lit the night sky for miles around. A total of seven people were injured in both automobiles on the buckled overpass and the engine of one of the trains, which was burning. The two-man train crew was trapped inside the crumpled engine with the fire growing. Without hesitation or regard for his own safety, Deputy Wooten climbed into the overturned engine and single handedly extricated the engineer and conductor, who were unable to get out on their own. Freeing one of the men, a diabetic, who was immobile, required locating an alternate exit as flames neared the train’s fuel tanks. With the victims out, Deputy Wooten and arriving medical personnel moved them down a steep incline to a safe area away from the crash scene. In a perilous situation, with a train on fire and victims trapped, Deputy Sheriff Wooten calmly and with great dispatch located and, despite all obstacles, pulled two men out of harm’s way to safety.
Daniel J. Johnson and Jason W. Philpott, Missouri State Highway Patrol
2013 Class
Awarded on: 12/18/2014
Medal of Valor
In the early morning hours of April 18, 2013, Douglas County was inundated following prolonged and heavy rainfall. Flash flooding swamped low-lying areas. At 8:10 a.m., Troopers Johnson and Philpott responded to a call for an elderly couple trapped in the mobile home near Route A and County Road 409. Water was entering the residence and quickly rising. Troopers Johnson and Philpott launched a Patrol boat, got to the home, outfitted the couple with personal flotation devices and placed them into the rescue boat. As they pulled away, the vessel’s motor stalled after the propeller became entangled in barbed wire. The vessel began turning and taking on water in the swift current. The troopers paddled vigorously, attempting to get to a nearby outbuilding, but the boat capsized. All four occupants began drifting downstream in the swift moving water, headed toward a certain crash into a flooded concrete bridge. Troopers Johnson and Philpott each swam to and retrieved the elderly couple. Once they had them, they swam against the swift current and brought them to shore, just a few feet from the edge of the concrete bridge. In turbulent and swirling waters, Troopers Johnson and Philpott remained steady, calm and vigilant, saving the lives of the couple they had been dispatched to rescue.
Brock E. Kelley, Independence Police Department
2013 Class
Awarded on: 12/18/2014
Medal of Valor
On April 7, 2013, Officer Kelley and another Independence Police officer responded to the Econo Lodge on 42nd Terrace for a reported theft at the motel. Upon arrival, employees directed the officers to two men outside the motel who had allegedly been stealing items from a guest room. As the officers approached, one of the suspects ran. The officers pursued on foot. After rounding a corner of the building, the suspect drew a handgun and began shooting at the officers. Officer Kelley was so close he felt the muzzle flash from the gunman’s weapon on his face and arm. The gunman continued firing a total of 13 shots at the officers. Officer Kelley fired three rounds from his service weapon, striking the gunman. During what originated as a routine police call, Officer Brock E. Kelley faced a life-or-death threat to himself, his fellow officer and motel employees and guests. Under fire, he acted swiftly to eliminate a deadly threat to himself, his fellow officer and the public.
Michael C. Hoefle, St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department
2013 Class
Awarded on: 12/18/2014
Medal of Valor
On the night of Feb. 15, 2013, while patrolling near West Alton, Deputy Hoefle (Hay-flee) watched a car speed into a parking area near the Mississippi River. As Deputy Hoefle moved toward the vehicle, it drove over parking blocks and into the river. The vehicle began sinking 50 feet from the shore. The lone occupant, a woman crawled to the back seat and attempted to kick out a rear window as the car continued to sink. Water was filling the passenger compartment. Deputy Hoefle entered the water, got to the vehicle, used his window punch to break out the rear window and quickly extracted the woman from the vehicle. He then pulled her to the shore and out of the frigid water into the 30-degree air. The driver was transported to a hospital and treated for hypothermia. On a cold, dark night, along a deserted stretch of the Mississippi River, Deputy Sheriff Michael C. Hay-flee was the difference between life and death. He bravely and decisively acted without hesitation, risking his own life to save the life of another.
Robert D. Bratcher, Liberty Police Department
2012 Class
Awarded on: 10/12/2013
Medal of Valor
At about 3 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2012, firefighters, Liberty Police and the Clay County Sheriff's Department were dispatched to a large fire at the Days Inn Motel on Highway 291 in Liberty. Police and sheriff's deputies immediately began going door to door to evacuate guests, as some first floor units were completely engulfed in flames and the second floor was covered in thick, dark smoke. After hearing a family was trapped on the second floor, Bratcher and a sheriff's deputy climbed the stairs to the second floor. The smoke was so thick the deputy could not go any further. Bratcher crawled to room 213, where he found an infant, a 4-year-old, and a man and woman suffering from smoke inhalation. Realizing that conditions were rapidly deteriorating and that there would soon be no chance of escape, Bratcher picked up the woman, took the 4-year-old by the hand and instructed the man to take the baby. One they were out of the room and on the landing, where the thick smoke had intensified, Bratcher instructed the adults and 4-year-old to crawl to the stairway. At the stairs, the sheriff's deputy grabbed the infant and helped Bratcher lead the family to safety. Officer Bratcher's fast action and disregard for his own safety saved the lives of four people.
Jared W. Debrecht, Iron County Sheriff's Department
2012 Class
Awarded on: 10/12/2013
Medal of Valor
Just before 1 a.m. on Oct. 28, 2012, Deputy Debrecht was dispatched to a mobile home fire to assist the Pilot Knob Fire Protection District. A trainee was riding with Debrecht and the two were first on the scene. When radio traffic made it clear the fire department was having trouble finding the residence, Debrecht instructed the trainee to drive the patrol car to Highway 21 to direct fire responders. In the meantime, as flames and thick smoke were coming from the entrance to the home, a woman shouted that her husband was trapped inside. Knowing that firefighters were delayed, and without breathing apparatus or protective gear, Debrecht entered the smoke-filled trailer on his knees and crawled toward the front, where he could hear noise. He continued to call out the victim's name, but did not get a response. The fire was growing. Eventually, he saw a man appear and then disappear around a corner. Debrecht then saw the victim's arm near the floor, as if he were searching for a way out. Debrecht grabbed the arm and was able to slowly drag the victim back to the rear of the trailer and outside. Once outside, Debrecht and the victim's wife got the victim away from the burning mobile home, which was now fully engulfed in flames. The victim was treated and made a full recovery because of Deputy Debrecht's willingness to courageously battle smoke and fire without protection.
Gerad G. Gonzalez, Manchester Police Department
2012 Class
Awarded on: 10/12/2013
Medal of Valor
On Aug. 14, 2012, while patrolling, Officer Gonzalez arrived at the scene of a serious vehicle crash at the intersection of Carman and Dougherty Ferry roads in Manchester. He found two heavily damaged SUVs, one fully engulfed in fire with flames rising 20 feet in the air. Gonzalez requested assistance and ran to aid the occupants of the two vehicles. The driver of the burning vehicle had gotten out on her own, so Gonzalez turned his attention to the other vehicle. With the fire raging and in danger of spreading to this vehicle, Gonzalez and a civilian tried to rescue the driver, who was a large man and was unconscious. Because the flames and heat made it impossible to get to the driver through the driver's door, Gonzalez quickly entered from the front passenger's door, and was able to pull the unresponsive driver over the center console. With automobile glass shattering from the heat, Gonzales and the civilian raced to pull the victim out of the vehicle and away from the encroaching fire. The victim survived and was taken to a hospital. By battling through the smoke and intense fire and ignoring the risk of an explosion, Officer Gonzalez was responsible for saving the man's life.
Kevin A. Bacon, West County EMS and Fire Protection District
2012 Class
Awarded on: 10/12/2013
Medal of Valor
On July 29, 2012, Firefighter/Paramedics Bacon and Cody Jennemann responded to a vehicle crash in which an SUV ran off the highway, rolled, and ended up overturned and on fire in the backyard of a residence. Bacon went to the aid of the driver as Jennemann went to the front of the house to direct incoming firefighters with the necessary equipment. The driver was partially ejected and trapped under the vehicle as the fire encroached on the passenger compartment. The driver had no pulse and was not breathing. The fire was growing larger and time running out. Bacon, without regard for his own safety, entered the extremely hazardous fire area, managed to lift the overturned vehicle from the victim and roll it onto its side. Bacon then pulled the patient away from the fire. Bacon and Jennemann began advanced life support intervention, resuscitating the patient. He was transported to a hospital and, amazingly, made a complete recovery. Firefighter/Paramedic Bacon's heroic efforts undoubtedly saved the man's life.