Sheriff’s office pays tribute to its own

By Uriah A. Kiser

Published: May 14, 2008

STAFFORD — The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office honored its fallen, and 53 other employees that were recognized for their outstanding achievements, at Stafford High School on May 8.

A portion of the awards ceremony was dedicated to Trooper Jason Mooney, who was killed in his sheriff’s cruiser while responding to an emergency call on Interstate 95 last year.

John Marshall, Virginia’s Secretary of Public Safety, spoke at the event, saying “there is no such thing as a routine call in law enforcement.”

“A responder never knows if this is going to be his last call. That is why it’s important to say to law enforcement officers ‘thank you for what you do,’” said Marshall.

A total of 53 sheriff’s office employees — deputies, detectives and dispatchers were honored for outstanding efforts on the job.

“Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect the citizens of Stafford,” said Stafford Sheriff Charles Jett in a released statement.  “The awards ceremony is an opportunity to formally acknowledge their extraordinary efforts and show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication.”

A video featuring pictures of Mooney and deputies from around the county brought a moment of solace to the audience.

“I lost a son but I gained a family, through the support of the sheriff’s office,” said Ed Mooney, father of the late Deputy Mooney. “Jason was always in some kind of uniform since he was little.”

The sheriff’s office presented the family with an honorary plaque for their son’s service to the community.

A complete list of the winners:

Deputy Alan Hatmaker received a Meritorious Award for his off-duty assistance at a life-threatening vehicle crash on August 27, 2007.  Deputy Hatmaker’s assistance saved the life of an injured citizen.

Detective Joe McDermott received a Meritorious Award for his superior investigative work demonstrated throughout the murder investigation of Shannah Marie Angeles and the members of the gang MS-13 who were responsible for her death.

Deputy Lee Peters received a Meritorious Award for performing rescue breathing on a 17- month old baby girl on April 18, 2007.  Deputy Peter’s efforts are credited with saving the child’s life.

Detective John Hughes received the Meritorious Award for his investigative efforts in a multi-jurisdictional/federal cocaine conspiracy and distribution case.  Detective Hughes coordinated the investigation across 5 jurisdictions involving over 200 law enforcement officers.

Sergeant David Stout, Deputy Angelo Irizarry and Sergeant Ted Nelson each received a Meritorious Award for their lifesaving efforts to save a woman and her pets during a residential fire on June 14, 2007.

1st Sergeant Ray Davis received a Meritorious Award for performing rescue breathing on a 2 year old child.  1st Sergeant Davis’s calm and quick action saved the life of the child.  1st Sergeant Ray Davis received a second Meritorious Award.  This second award was for his efforts in talking a woman out of jumping off a bridge over 1-95 and thus, most probably, saving her life.

Telecommunicator Karen Roy received a Meritorious Award for her outstanding performance during a critical incident that ultimately dealt with the death of deputy in the line of duty. 

Telecommunicator Robbie Belman received a Meritorious Award for his professional life saving communication skills. These skills prevented a citizen from taking his own life.

Telecommunicator Andrea Mullen received a Meritorious Award for her outstanding actions during a drowning call involving twin baby boys.  Mullen was issuing CPR instructions while dispatching units to the scene and dealing with different callers, all at the same time.

Deputy Jim Fouts received a Meritorious Award for his actions in apprehending a suspect in an attempted armed robbery of a Wawa gas station on November 20, 2007.

Detective Chad Oxley received a Meritorious Award for initiating and completing a campaign targeting numerous street level and local narcotics dealers beginning in May 2007.  This campaign is credited with arrests and taking guns and over $100,000.00 of drugs off local streets.

Deputy Eric Gentry and Deputy James Kingman each received a Meritorious Award for the use of an AED device and CPR on a suicide victim who later died as a result of her injuries.

Deputy Nick Chiappini received a Meritorious Award for saving a 5 year old’s life.  Deputy Chiappini arrived on scene jumped in the pool where the victim was floating, carried the child out of the pool and administered CPR saving the child’s life.

Sergeant Randy Shaw and Deputy Kevin Kortman each received a Meritorious Award for their apprehension of a breaking and entering suspect in a potentially life threatening situation.

1st Sergeant Mike Jenkins and Deputy David Thompson each received a Meritorious Award for their ability to use communication and a less lethal weapon to ensure that a woman would not take her own life.

Animal Control Officer Dennis Ottley received a Meritorious Award for his fearless actions detaining an angry Rottweiler during a S.W.A.T. search warrant.  Animal Control Officer Ottley had to deal with the dog as well as entering a dangerous residence with suspects and narcotics.

1st Sergeant Ryan Pangretic and Deputy Chris Staples each received a Meritorious Award for performing CPR on a non-responsive female.  Their sustained efforts and actions saved the life of the woman.

Deputy Chris Armitage received a Letter of Commendation for his investigation and arrests of suspects who tagged a local business.  These arrests lead to charges being filed in Prince William County for over 30 additional acts of vandalism.

Detective Gerald Lloyd received a Letter of Commendation for his superior investigative efforts in the attempted murder of a Stafford County man.  His efforts led to a jury recommending a sentence of 105 years for the individual charged.

1st Sergeant Brian Jacobs received a Letter of Commendation for his professional and tactical skills utilized during the arrest of an enraged suspended driver on March 8, 2007. 

Deputy Jim Kettle and Deputy Carol Burgess each received a Letter of Commendation for their efforts in solving a rash of vandalisms that occurred on July 30, 2007.  The juvenile charged in this incident vandalized 8 cars and 2 houses.

Deputy Ben Woodson received a Letter of Commendation for his outstanding performance in his investigation of 30 criminal cases in 2007 while being able to maintain his patrol functions.  Deputy Woodson wrote 200 traffic tickets, made 133 criminal arrests and closed all but 4 of his 30 investigations.

Detective 1st Sergeant Eric Jessee, Detective Donnie Lenhart, Deputy Renzo Beltran and Deputy Alex Cameron each earned a Letter of Commendation for their outstanding efforts in assisting with the investigations of the MS-13 homicide case that began in July of 2006.

Telecommunicators Peggy Cropper, Patty Daney, Tammy Embrey, Debi Jenkins, Sue Schroeder, Call Taker Morgan Carpenter and Telecommunicator Supervisor Wes Melson each received a Letter of Commendation for their superior performance during a vehicle pursuit involving Stafford, Virginia State Police units and Fire and Rescue units.  The radio traffic during this incident was intense and rapid requiring a great deal of decision making and multi-tasking.

Telecommunicators Kim Cottle, Andrea Mullen, Karen Stephenson, and Tammy Tolson and Telecommunicator Wes Melson each earned a Letter of Commendation for their combined efforts to maintain order and control in the ECC with incoming radio and telephone traffic during a snow storm in January 2007.

Detective Brian Smyser received a Letter of Commendation for his commitment, dedication and superior contributions to the Regional Gang Task Force.

Detective Dave Wood received a Letter of Commendation for his outstanding investigative skills in a complex National Organization of Deputy Sheriff’s fraud case.

Deputy Brian Miller received a Letter of Commendation for the safety and tactical skills he used during a potentially life- threatening traffic stop.

Deputy Kevin Kortman received a Letter of Commendation for having 46 DUI arrests for the year 2007.  In addition, Deputy Kortman has been recognized by MADD for his efforts in this area.

Sergeant Randy Shaw received a Letter of Commendation for his annual effort of organizing and running the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office Summer Football Camp.  Sergeant Shaw’s efforts speak volumes of his dedication to the young people of Stafford not only in the area of sports but character development which is always a part of his football program.

Deputy Scott Myers received a Letter of Commendation for his and his K-9 Scout’s efforts in apprehending a suspect fleeing from Prince William County.  Deputy Myers and Scout tracked the suspect for over 1.5 hours finding him hiding in a bulldozer.  The suspect jumped out of the bulldozer and ran a short while.  K-9 Scout barked once and the suspect dropped to the ground and gave up.