Prince William Valor Awards 2020

Proudly Presented by

Wednesday March 18, 2020 Hylton Performing Arts Center

FROM THE PRESENTING SPONSOR

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entara Healthcare is pleased to again be a sponsor of the esteemed Prince William Chamber of Commerce Valor Awards. It is our privilege to recognize and honor the 2020 Valor Award recipients.

This special event provides us with the opportunity to recognize public safety personnel who have dedicated their lives to helping others. These dedicated professionals handle challenging situations with grace, confidence, and humility.

Sentara Healthcare salutes everyone being honored today.

We also extend our unending gratitude to Prince William’s first responders and support teams. Your commitment, dedication and collaboration make Prince William County a safe, enjoyable and healthy community.

Kathie Johnson, RN, MSN, PhD President, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center

LETTER FROM PRESIDENT & CEO DEBBIE JONES

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elcome to the 34th Annual Valor Awards Ceremony.

We live in an amazing community. Today we recognize the men and women who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make our community a safer place to live and work. It is an honor to publicly thank and recognize those who place their own lives at risk every day. We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge their selfless acts of bravery and the sacrifices of their loved ones that make it possible for them to serve and follow their calling.

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” – Joseph Campbell On behalf of the leadership and members of Prince William Chamber…Thank you! We sincerely hope you enjoy this day in your honor!

MASTER OF CEREMONIES

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ummy Olabanji is a member of the News4 Today team, reporting each morning from the Live Desk.

A native of Fairfax County, Olabanji has spent most of her life in Virginia, attending Westfield High School and Virginia Tech University. She earned a Master’s degree in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University.

Olabanji started her journalism career as an intern for NBC4.

She has also worked for CNN, WTKR-TV in Norfolk, WCAV-TV in Charlottesville and WNBC-TV in New York where she anchored the weekend evening newscasts.

She has been honored for her work with two national Edward R. Murrow Awards for breaking news anchor coverage, two Virginia Associated Press Awards and seven EMMY Awards.

Olabanji is an advocate for organ donation and sits on the Board of Directors of the National Kidney Foundation. She is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Along with her husband, Olabanji lives in Washington, D.C.

Your Courage Inspires Honoring police, fire and rescue heroes serving communities across Prince William County.

Congratulations from Inova to this year’s VALOR AWARD winners.

We thank you for the courage and strength you show every single day. inova.org

34TH ANNUAL VALOR AWARDS PROUDLY PRESENTED BY

Welcome and Program Introduction Welcome Remarks: Bishop Lyle Dukes, Harvest Life Church—2019-2020 Chairman

Remarks from our Quality of Life Vision Partner Zeiders Enterprises, Inc.

Presenting Sponsor Remarks Katherine Johnson, RN, MSN, PhD, President, Sentara Northern Virginia medical Center

Presentation of Colors Prince William County Public Safety Honor Guard Pipe Major Jessica Dispenza

Invocation Chaplain Ruth Anne Sawyer

Introduction of Jummy Olabanji Speaker Sponsor: INOVA

Remarks from our Founding Vision Partner Dominion Energy

Awards Presentations Narrated by Jummy Olabanji, News Channel 4

Closing Join us for a reception sponsored by Foster’s Grill.

Thank you to Rebecca Barnes and the entire Valor Awards Selection Committee.

Thank you to Dawn Gardner from DG Photography

Our Community Partner

VALOR CATEGORIES Gold Award The highest award for bravery and heroism. Awarded in cases in which a public safety official knowingly places his/her life in peril of death or extreme serious bodily harm while saving or attempting to save the lives of others who are clearly at risk in performance of an official act/duty. May include the saving of a life that is threatened for medical or physical reasons.

Silver Award The second highest award for bravery and heroism. Awarded in situations when a public safety official knowingly exposes himself/herself to great personal risk in the performance of an official act. May include the saving of a life that is threatened for medical or physical reasons.

Bronze Award Awarded in situations where during the course of an emergency, a public safety official acts involving personal risk and/or demonstrates extraordinary judgment, ingenuity or performance of his/her duties. May include the saving of a life that is threatened for medical or physical reasons.

Valorous Unit Award Awarded for bravery and heroism demonstrated in a cooperative fashion by an entire unit in such cases where a public safety unit, as a team, demonstrates extraordinary judgment,, ingenuity or performance of their duties. May include the saving of a life that is threatened for medical or physical reasons. Multiple members of the team may have exposed themselves to great personal risk in the performance of an official act or gone above what is normally expected in the performance of duty.

Merit Award Awarded to a public safety official for demonstration of judgment, zeal or ingenuity above what is normally expected in the performance of duty. May include the saving of a life that is threatened for medical or physical reasons.

INVESTIGATIVE CATEGORIES The Hillary Robinette Award For integrity in investigative work, including but not limited to, solving a cold case or clearing a difficult active case; or the outstanding overall supervision of a particularly unusual case that is brought to a successful conclusion.

Merit Award For a cumulative body of investigative work, including, but not limited to detailed crime scene processing, significant evidence identification, collection and analysis, and substantial investigative contributions to the successful closure of a major case or series of cases.

Virginia State Police

INVESTIGATIVE MERIT AWARD

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n February 9, 2019, a suspicious parcel was intercepted. Inside the parcel was a vacuum sealed package containing 1,295 grams of cocaine (street value $103, 600).

At 1 pm, Virginia State Police (VSP) Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations conducted a controlled delivery to a Prince William County residence.

Special Agent Kevin Fleenor II

Once the parcel went inside, agents executed an anticipatory search warrant. VSP Special Agent/DEA Task Force Officer Keven Fleenor interviewed a grandfather and his grandson.

SA Fleenor convinced the grandson to cooperate with law enforcement and placed a recorded call to the target.

Shortly after 9pm, a BMW arrived at the residence. A suspect got out of the BMW and

walked into the residence. The target took possession of the parcel and was detained when he tried to leave.

For three month, SA Fleenor’s investigative efforts included conducting static and mobile surveillance, drafting and executing preservation orders, search warrants, and reviewing call data records.

During his investigation, SA Fleenor identified six individuals of a Drug Trafficking Organization that operated in three states and shipped kilogram amounts of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana to Prince William County.

On May 13, 2019, a mass arrest plan was executed flawlessly and all five suspects were safely apprehended.

Five suspects were charged in the Eastern District of Virginia for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams but less than 2000 grams of a Schedule II controlled substance (Cocaine). All five defendants in this case pled guilty in Eastern District of Virginia.

City of Manassas Police Department

INVESTIGATIVE MERIT AWARD

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n February 2019, Detective Armas investigated social media threats to eight different schools located within the city of Manassas and Prince William County.

Information had been gathered that the account Detective had since been removed Luis Armas leaving him with no leads or suspect information. Detective Armas noticed the posted picture that listed the involved schools appeared as if the suspect used a map application and searched for nearby schools. Using the distances from all of the schools, a triangulation map was created showing the possible location for the suspect. This information lead to discovering

the identity of the suspect that had made the threatening post. In September 2019, Detective Armas investigated another threat where the suspect had used a social media platform. Several involved juveniles who could identify the suspect were uncooperative with the investigation and denied seeing the social media video. These juveniles identified other students who saw the video but would not identify the suspect.

After speaking with several other juveniles, Detective Armas created an account to attempt to communicate with the suspect.

This effort resulted in enough information being obtained to identify the suspect. In both cases, Detective Armas’ work lead to the successful resolution of the threats made against the schools.

City of Manassas Police Department

INVESTIGATIVE MERIT AWARD

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n October of 2019, multiple 911 calls were made regarding an individual that had been shot in the back in a local apartment complex. A description of the suspect was quickly distributed and the responding officers spotted the individual nearby. The suspect fled from officers into a wooded area but was quickly apprehended. It was learned that the suspect had disposed of the firearm during the pursuit. As the investigation progressed, the officers learned that the victim had been pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Lieutenant Tara Petty

Sergeant Wayne Bombara

Officer James Horton

Officer Justin Rollins

Specialized resources were called to the scene to search for the murder weapon as detectives continued their investigation. The weapon was found in a creek near where the suspect had first fled from the responding officers. As the investigation continued, the involved detectives executed numerous search warrants and interviewed multiple witnesses. This resulted in the identification of another suspect involved. All suspects were arrested without incident due to the efforts of all personnel involved.

Detective Chris Daniels

Detective Tim Urey

Detective Marcus Hyde

City of Manassas Police Department

INVESTIGATIVE MERIT AWARD

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n May 2019, the Department received a complaint of animal neglect at a pet shop. The complaint included unsanitary and unsafe cages, inadequate documentation, a sick puppy, improper use of medication and questionable procedures conducted by the shop’s staff.

After conducting additional interviews and obtaining written statements from witnesses and other visitors of the shop, Officer Daigle received enough information to warrant an inspection of the business. Officer Daigle and Sergeant Mello visited the puppy shop to complete inspection of the store. The officers were able to confirm all allegations that had been made by the complainants.

Sergeant Carilyn Mello

Senior Animal Control Officer Marc Daigle

After the initial inspection and extensive follow-ups with the city attorney, veterinarian and consultation with the Attorney General’s Office, Officer Daigle obtained a search warrant for the business. Subsequent to the execution of the search warrant, twenty-five puppies, computer equipment, records and documents, and several medications were seized.

The investigation resulted in the owner of the business and staff being served in excess of fifty summonses for the violations noted during the investigation. The officer’s work also resulted in all twenty-five dogs becoming property of the City and being able to be made available for adoption.

City of Manassas Police Department

MERIT AWARD FOR VALOR

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n March 15, 2019, Officers responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Grant Avenue in the City of Manassas.

Officer Eustace located a victim suffering from several gunshot wounds being aided by another person who had witnessed the shooting. Officer Eustace retrieved his tactical emergency casualty care kit (TECC) as Officers Hyde, Barrett and Lane arrived at the scene.

The victim had already lost a significant amount of blood and the officers were working to stabilize both the victim and the crime scene in extremely tense circumstances. Officer Barrett and Officer Eustace applied a tourniquet to the victim’s leg while Officer Hyde applied a tourniquet to the victim’s arm. Officer Lane applied a chest seal to a gunshot wound found by the officers as

Senior Detective Marcus Hyde

Senior Police Officer Barrett

they continued to provide care.

Officer Hyde began developing suspect information from the victim to provide to other responding officers while Officer Eustace kept the victim alert and responsive. The significance of the victim’s injuries required a third tourniquet to be applied coupled with constant direct pressure by Officer Barrett.

The officers continued to work to maintain security around the crime scene and continued care until relieved by responding rescue personnel. The victim was flown to a hospital where his injuries were eventually stabilized.

The responding medical personnel advised that without the teamwork, quick thinking and decisive actions of the four responding officers, it is likely that the victim would have died from significant loss of blood resulting from multiple gunshot wounds.

Officer Ethan Eustace

Officer Warren Lane

City of Manassas Police Department

BRONZE AWARD FOR VALOR

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n January 12, 2019 Officers Turpin, Shillingburg and Bowden responded to a residence on Scarlett Oak Drive in the City of Manassas for a report of a mentally ill individual in crisis. Officers Shillingburg and Bowden climbed two flights of stairs to reach the front door’s balcony to attempt to make contact. Officer Turpin responded to assist but remained on a lower stoop due to the limited space.

The front door was flung open by the individual when the officers knocked. The interior of the apartment was dark but the officers recognized that the individual was holding a large knife overhead. Officer Bowden and Officer Shillingburg drew their weapons, began to give commands and attempted to create distance. They were only able to

Senior Detective Jacob Turpin

Officer Steven Shillingburg

move five feet away due to the size of the balcony. Officer Turpin began to run up the stairs to assist at that time.

The individual continued holding the knife overhead as the officers ordered the individual to drop it. The individual then lowered the knife to their side and the standoff continued. After several more seconds, the individual placed the knife down behind them.

The knife was still within reach and the individual refused to step out of the apartment.

The three officers moved to restrain the individual as they attempted to reach for the knife. Officer Turpin positioned himself between the individual and the knife and all three officers forced the individual out of the apartment. The individual was then restrained without injury to any involved.

Officer Khalia Bowden

City of Manassas Fire and Rescue Department

MERIT AWARD FOR VALOR

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n December 27, 2019 at 1537 hours City of Manassas Fire and Rescue units (E501, TW501, M501, RE521, M521, and BC581) were dispatched to Nicol Lane for a reported apartment fire. Engine 501 and Technician Tower 501 arrived on scene Justin Laidler to a 3-story apartment building with an enclosed stairwell to find two people calling for help from a window on the Bravo side of the structure.

E501 and TW501 immediately recognized that the two people in the window were cut off from egress due to smoke conditions inside the apartment. Engine 501 secured their own water and stretched an 1 3/4” line to the apartment and Tower 501 immediately split crews and began rescue efforts. The

driver of Tower 501 (Technician Justin Laidler) placed a ground ladder to the window where the trapped victims were while the Officer and Irons Firefighter forced entry into the apartment.

The occupants of the apartment were able to isolate themselves from smoke conditions in the apartment by closing the interior bedroom door to the room they were located in. The fire was located in the front of the apartment door, which was their only exit from the apartment. Due to Technician Laidler’s quick recognition and actions he was able to bring the two civilians along with two dogs down the ground ladder and out of harm’s way.

The interior of the Tower crew performed a quick primary of the affected residence to ensure no one else was inside and Engine 501 extinguished the fire inside the apartment.

Prince William County Department of Fire & Rescue and Stonewall Jackson Volunteer Fire Department

MERIT AWARD FOR VALOR

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n April 6, 2019, TCI Jeanette Watson received a 9-1-1 call from a male patient who was experiencing respiratory distress.

The patient’s attack was so severe that their speech was severely impacted and indiscernible. Within seconds, RapidSOS was deployed and she was able to obtain the address of the caller. Medic 5-11, Ambulance 5-11 and Engine 5-11 were quickly dispatched.

Units were advised the 9-1-1 caller was unable to understand the patient and they were unsure if the call was a medical emergency or language barrier. All calls back to caller by dispatch went to voicemail. Units arrived at the house and received no answer at the front or rear doors. Neighbors advised they observed two people leave in a car from that address recently. The crew started to think they were at the wrong address or patient left and went to the hospital on their own.

Crew member noticed that a second story rear window was opened a small amount and

requested a ladder be raised by on scene Engine company. Once at the window they notice there was someone laying on the bed, possibly unresponsive. Crews removed the window screen and found the patient barely breathing with a blue face. It appeared the patient had respiratory failure due to an asthma attack. The patient was treated aggressively by EMS, breathing for the patient with equipment and administering all the respiratory medications on hand to quickly revive the patient. The patient was transported to the local hospital. Enroute to the hospital the patient began breathing on his own and eventually began talking and was in great spirits. If it were not for Jeanette Watson, Medic 5-11, Ambulance 5-1 and Engine 5-11 taking the time in a confusing situation to confirm the patient was inside and taking swift action to make entry and start resuscitative efforts. The patient would have died from respiratory complications.

Prince William County Department of Fire & Rescue

Tele Communicator 1 Jeanette Watson

Lieutenant Luke DeAtley

Technician II Charles DeBonis

Stonewall Jackson Volunteer Fire Department

Ambulance 511 Catherine Quinones

Ambulance 511 Breanna Hart

Ambulance 511 Samantha Bellows

Photos not available Engine 511- Assistant Chief Drew Taylor, Sergeant Ethan Cochran, Kyle Davi

Prince William County Department of Fire & Rescue

MERIT AWARD FOR VALOR

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n March 21, 2019 at approximately 4:30 p.m., Retired U.S. Navy Commander Thomas Michael Smith Sr., was on a FaceTime call with his two sons. Suddenly, their father’s phone fell out of his hands and he was not responding when they called out to him. The boys hung up with their father and called the youngest sibling who was home and asked her to check on their father. She found her dad unresponsive and hung up with her brothers and called 9-1-1. The brothers made a call to their next-door neighbor, Dan Beck, asking him to run over to check on their dad. Dan immediately ran across the yard to the Smith’s house and found Mike with no pulse and not breathing. He then called his wife, Mickey, to come and render assistance. Dan lowered Mike from his recliner to the floor and Mickey arrived to assist with CPR. Dan was unable to get

Lieutenant Dan Beck

Lieutenant Michelle Beck

a proper seal to do breaths, so ran back to his house to get his pocket mask. Dan and Mickey performed CPR for approximately 8 minutes until the Fauquier County paramedic arrived. Doctors said that the severity of the apparent heart attack was not survivable, but that if anybody stood a chance, it was Mike because of the immediate response and performance of CPR by Mickey and Dan. Dan and Mickey took it upon themselves to help the family find a funeral home that could perform cremation service in time for the official naval memorial service and continued to help with funeral arrangements.

They arranged to have other families within the community prepare meals for the Smiths and even delivered groceries. Although Dan and Mickey are the type of people who would not think their efforts were heroic, the Smith family certainly does.

Prince William County Fire & Rescue

MERIT AWARD FOR VALOR

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n Friday, July 19, 2019, while off duty, Christopher Sager received a phone call from his mother that his grandfather had fallen, and she needed help getting him back in the house. Christopher Technician II immediately headed to Christopher Sager his grandfather’s house.

Once Christopher arrived, he quickly assessed the situation and realized his grandfather was unresponsive, not breathing, and pulseless. Without hesitation, Christopher took control of the scene and asked his mother to assist getting his grandfather flat on the ground so he could

start CPR. Knowing the importance of the oncoming crew needing information, he then advised his mother to call 911 and advise that CPR was in progress. Christopher performed one round of CPR and rechecked his grandfather’s condition to find that he had regained a pulse, although weak. Christopher was able to maintain his airway until the medic unit from Fauquier County arrived on the scene. Christopher provided all the details of the incident to the crew of the medic unit as they took over his grandfather’s care and transported him to the hospital, Christopher’s quick thinking, professional training, and overcoming the difficulties of it being a loved one, are the reasons his grandfather is alive today.

Prince William County Fire & Rescue

MERIT AWARD FOR VALOR

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ollie Bodmer was playing golf at Poolesville Golf Course located in Montgomery County Maryland with her grandfather.

Mollies mother, who is a volunteer auxiliary member in the county, called and Technician I notified her of a dispatched Mollie Bodmer call for an unconscious male at the same golf course she was located.

Mollie quickly jumped into action and made her way to the patient. Mollie assessed the patient and found a male subject pulseless and not breathing. Mollie’s training quickly took over and she initiated CPR. The course

staff brought an AED to the scene and Mollie was able to talk them through the process while still performing CPR. After 12 minutes of Mollie performing CPR, she assessed the patient and felt a pulse and began breathing on his own. Shortly after, a local medic unit arrived and took over, they confirmed a pulse and that the patient was breathing, and initiated transport to the local ER. The patient was admitted and ultimately discharged a few days later. Mollie’s ability to remain calm, take charge of the scene, use her professional training and perform high quality CPR, gave the patient the best chance at survival and is the reason why he is at home with his loved ones today.

Prince William County Fire & Rescue

VALOROUS UNIT AWARD

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n October 24, 2019, crews responded to a car that had driven into a house. This call type dispatches numerous crews to the scene for any type of structural collapse and victim rescue. Engine 5-20 and Truck 5-20 arrived on the scene first to find a small SUV located mostly in the basement of a twostory split foyer home. As crews began to survey the scene they noticed that the driver of the SUV was still trapped inside of the vehicle and would need to be rescued. Truck

5-20’s crew began working to stabilize the car and remove the patient while Engine 5-20 started securing the scene and any other hazards. The engine crew deployed a hose line since the SUV�s fuel tank had ruptured and crews were dealing with the gasoline leaking around them. This also caused a breathing hazard with rising levels of carbon monoxide where the crews were operating Medic 5-20, alongside Truck 5-20 to stabilize the patient for removal. Rescue 5-06

Engine 520, Technician II Travis Taylor

Engine 520, Technician I Robert McBurney

Engine 520, Technician I Larry Price

Engine 520, Technician I Neftali Mena

Truck 520, Lieutenant Kevin Tobey

Medic 520, Technician II Stephen King

Engine 514, Lieutenant Brian Moore

Engine 514, Technician II Matthew Cone

Engine 514, Technician I Michael Lamb

Engine 514, Technician I Darryl Jones

Collapse 502, Technician II Jemeel Brady

Collapse 502, Technician I Seth Wayland

Safety 502, Lieutenant Michael Hauser

Medic 514, Technician II Brian Plaster

Medic 514, Technician II Benjamin Draxler

Engine 512, Lieutenant Jason Zappas

Engine 512, Technician II Ryan Thomas

Engine 512, Technician I Robert Attrill III

Engine 512, Technician I Joseph Tate

Battalion 502, Battalion Chief Kevin Artone

and Engine 5-14 also assisted with the fuel leaks and getting fresh air in to the home, while crews kept working on their initial tasks. Once the patient was removed, the call shifted to secure the severely damaged home. Crews set up work areas to strengthen the structure of the house. Once the house was no longer in danger of collapsing, crews had to remove parts of the foundation to assist the tow company with getting the car out of the house. Crews were faced with

unique challenges requiring the use of multiple crews working together to stabilize and extricate the trapped occupant from the SUV in the house. Crews secured the structure of the home to prevent further damage to the owner’s home. The seamless coordinated efforts by all crews involved and expertise in multiple disciplines directly affected this positive outcome for all.

Truck 520, Technician II Andrew Hale

Truck 520, Technician II Christopher Alloway

Truck 520, Technician I Asley Amezquita

Truck 520, Technician I Jason Mendez

Medic 520, Technician II Sarah Mullins

Rescue 506, Lieutenant Mark Nicol

Rescue 506, Technician II Bobby Cook

Rescue 506, Technician I Timothy Heard

Rescue 506, Technician I Kate Adzemovic

Collapse 502, Lieutenant Bryan Janda

Medic 514, Technician II Daniel Blankenship

Medic 517, Lieutenant James Young

Medic 517, Technician II Patrick Reubens

Medic 517, Technician II Larry Milbourne

Medic 517, Technician I Thomas Fill

Battalion 502, Technician II Nicholas Budkiewicz

Division Chief 500, Division Chief Kurt Heindrichs

Prince William County Fire & Rescue

VALOROUS UNIT AWARD

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n September 19, 2019, Medic 5-12, responded to a call for a woman, nine months pregnant, having contractions and severe pain in a parking lot while trying to drive herself to the hospital. The Engine crew arrived first and began a thorough assessment of the patient. Shortly after, the paramedics arrived, and she was prepared to be placed into the medic unit for transport to the closest hospital. As crews were taking the patient into the hospital, she began to give birth. Before they could get the patient into the hospital room, she gave birth on the stretcher. As the baby was born, crews quickly realized that the umbilicus cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. The paramedics were able to remove the cord from the baby’s neck but noticed the baby was in grave condition. CPR was needed to revive

Medic – 512 Lieutenant Lou Berecz

Medic – 512 Technician II Amanda Sheil

the baby. CPR was done by a combination of the hospital staff and the paramedics. The baby was moved into a trauma room where joint efforts continued. Twenty minutes after arrival to the emergency room the baby had a pulse and was able to breath on its own.

Once the mother and child were stable, they were quickly transported by helicopter to Children’s Hospital in Washington DC. This effort by both firefighter/paramedics and hospital staff exemplified teamwork and dedication while doing the most possible for any patient. Medic 512 stayed with the patient longer than expected to ensure that hospital staff had all the help that they needed. There is no doubt that their compassion and superior medical expertise provided a positive outcome for this family.

Medic – 512 Technician II Jonathon Hartmann

Prince William County Fire & Rescue

VALOROUS UNIT AWARD O

n February 8, 2019, crews from the Dumfries area responded to an apartment fire.

Engine 523 and Truck 523 arrived together and were confronted with a fire on the balcony of the third story with the fire spreading into adjacent apartments and the roof. Freezing temperatures and high wind conditions caused the fire to spread quickly and made conditions very difficult for the crews on scene. Crews immediately began to stretch hose line to extinguish the fire as residents were evacuating the apartment complex. Conditions began to worsen and once the crews on scene were able to confirm that the residents were safely away from the building, the chief officer on scene (Battalion 593) made the decision to evacuate crews and extinguish the fire from the outside.

Crews continued to face difficulties brought on by the weather, and on top of that, there were issues with fire hydrants in the area that

slowed down fire extinguishment operations.

Through fast thinking and coordinated operation they were able to overcome this obstacle as well. As the fire was brought under control crews were able to re-enter the building to finish extinguishing the fire. Crews worked for hours to check for any hidden fire and salvage anything from the building they could for the residents. Medic 523 assisted tirelessly with accounting for all residents and then went above and beyond using their own personal funds to buy warm beverages and snacks for the people on scene. This incident provided many challenges for all crews involved. The initial crews were able to work through adversity, execute a solid plan of attack and coordinated all of their efforts with multiple crews and agencies. Without their significant efforts of teamwork and dedication the outcome of this fire would have been much worse.

Battalion 593 Captain Brett Hamby

Battalion 593 Technician II James Walker

Engine 523 Technician II Christopher Sager

Engine 523 Technician II Austin Wing

Engine 523 Ryan Turlik

Truck 523 Technician II Adam Mowry

Truck 523 Technician I Brittany Mason

Truck 523 Technician I Jeremy Lonas

Truck 523 Technician I Colin Tang

Medic 523 Lieutenant Robert Moreau

Medic 523 Technician II Lauren Linkous

Medic 523 Technician I Daniel Bragg

HILIARY ROBINETTE AWARD

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lthough the incident occurred in the early AM hours on July 31st, 2016, the resulting multi­agency investigation, trial, and court proceedings concluded in 2019. In the early morning hours on July 31st, 2016, when callers reported a house fire on Lomond Drive. Fire crews were quick to arrive, and quickly found two unconscious males in cardiac arrest. As they began treatment, they quickly realized that the fire conditions and circumstances were not normal and summoned the Fire Marshal’s Office. Both victims from the fire succumbed to their injuries. Due to the large presence of a gasoline smell on the victims and the structure, fire crews and investigators quickly determined this was most likely an arson. Additional investigators from the Fire Marshal’s Office and Police CID arrived on

scene and developed a game plan. Since this was not only an arson, but a double homicide, this situation created a complicated investigation.

In Virginia, fires are considered accidental until proven otherwise. This high-level standard means you not only have to show the fire was arson, but you have to prove it alone was the cause of the fire. The Medical Examiner’s autopsy determined both victims died as the result of the fire. Assistance from the Stafford County Fire Marshal’s Office K9 Dutchess and her handler, Deputy Fire Marshal, Ben Gouldman were requested and confirmed the presence of an ignitable liquid. As the morning went on, the Police Gang unit followed up on rumored gang ties to the incident and CID Homicide followed up with the hospitals and

Prince William County Fire & Rescue

Assistant Chief Matt Smolsky

Battalion Chief Tom Jarman

Captain Tyler Cirillo

Lieutenant Mike Cozdeba

Lieutenant Barry Culbertson

Stafford County Fire Marshal’s Office Photos not available Deputy Fire Marshal Ben Gouldman and Dutchess

PWCPD – Criminal Investigations Division, Forensic Services Section Photos not available

Chief Medical examiner. The Forensic Science Services unit from PWC Police assisted in the collection and processing of dozens of pieces of personal evidence and the ATF, along with the PWC Fire Marshal’s collected hundreds of pieces of physical evidence and samples related to several criminal search warrants executed by the multi-agency teams. As the Homicide Unit and Violent Crimes Bureau continued to follow leads and conduct interviews, the PWC Fire Marshal’s Office and ATF concentrated on piecing the investigation and sequence of events together. Through interviews, there were several stories relayed by the suspect. Each one of these stories were analyzed with the facts and evidence and subsequently disproven through scientific method. The ATF’s Chad Campanell, Mark Ambrozy, and Matt Varisco cleared the way

Lieutenant Paul Smiljanich

Lieutenant Tammy Kronebusch

for full scale fire modeling to be done at the ATF’s Fire Research Lab in Maryland under the watchful guidance and participation of Brian Grove. The Commonwealth Attorney’s Office witnessed the full-scale testing that proved the Origin and Cause Investigation, the fire development and the cause of death.

As the case neared trial, it became apparent that the investigation was solid.

As usual with any major case, there were several delays in the court proceedings that eclipsed almost two and a half years. Finally, in November 2018, the suspect entered an Alford Plea and was found Guilty of the Arson and double homicide. He was sentenced in February 2019 to 45 years in prison, over $164,000 in restitution and $5,000 to the PWC Victims Assistance Fund.

Lieutenant Jason Knight

Lieutenant Justin Lefever

Lieutenant Barbara Quick

ATF Fire Research Lab Photos not available Special Agent Chad Campanell, Special Agent Mark Ambrozy, Special Agent in Charge Matt Varisco, Special Agent Brian Grove, PE

Prince William County Fire & Rescue

BRONZE AWARD FOR VALOR

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n October 19, 2019, Technician I Ryan Blehr was finishing up a 24-hour shift and driving to his home in West Virginia.

Technician I Ryan Blehr was entering his subdivision when he noticed a Technician I large column of smoke.

Ryan Blehr Instead of just continuing to his house and ignoring the smoke column, Technician Blehr decided to try and find where it was coming from. He was able to locate the smoke coming from a house in his neighborhood. As Technician Blehr pulled up to the house he noticed that there were cars in the driveway and noticed that no one was outside. Blehr then immediately called 9-1-1 to report the fire and that there could be people trapped inside.

Technician Blehr then kicked in the front door of the house and noticed that there was fire on the roof one side Charlie. With dangerous smoke and fire conditions Blehr yelled trying to notify anyone that may still be inside. Without regard for his own safety,

no personal protective equipment or having the luxury of a handline, Technician Blehr tried to enter the home but was pushed back due to the intense heat and smoke. While still yelling out he noticed a light came on in a trailer that was parked in the driveway. A woman then exited the trailer and Technician Blehr asked her if anyone was still inside the home, she confirmed that everyone was out.

She then advised him that she was living in the trailer while her house was being renovated. Technician I Ryan Blehr later assisted the West Virginia Fire Marshall’s Office with their investigation a few days later. He was able to give vital information on his finding when he arrived on scene. Ryan Blehr set an example for other employees by seizing the opportunity to do the right thing by not just ignoring the smoke column. Technician Blehr was adamant from his training and knowledge that this was some type of structure fire. Blehr went above and beyond demonstrating the true meaning of Ultimate Performance and Personalized Delivery even while off duty.

Prince William County Fire & Rescue

SILVER AWARD FOR VALOR

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hile off duty and driving to dinner with his family, Technician II Josh Owens was traveling near the Remington Road and N. Franklin Street intersection where he witnessed a vehicle traveling Technician II at a high rate of speed and Joshua Owens approaching a dangerous curve in the road. The vehicle failed to navigate the turn striking a guard rail and rolling over into the woods and coming to rest on the vehicle’s side against trees. Josh went to the scene to assess the situation and check for possible injuries. Upon arrival, he noticed the engine compartment was on fire and spreading into the passenger compartment.

He attempted to make contact and assist the driver out, but the driver was unable to remove himself from the vehicle. Josh then kicked the windshield in and without any gloves or protection he began to tear the windshield out of the car to gain access.

Josh was able to enter the vehicle and drag the patient out of the vehicle and away from danger. In the process, Josh suffered several lacerations to his hands, arms and head due to the glass. He rendered patient care until a Fauquier County medic unit arrived and then assisted the crew with c-spine precautions. Without Josh’s quick actions and professional training, the patient could have suffered extensive burns or an even worse outcome.

Prince William County Police Department

INVESTIGATIVE MERIT AWARD

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n April 29, 2019, Officer Michael Furr. who currently serves as a Crime Scene Analyst, along with members of the Violent Crimes Bureau and Forensic Services Section, responded to the area of Officer Minnieville Road to investiMichael Furr gate a homicide. A citizen walking their dog encountered charred human remains on the shoulder of Minnieville Road earlier that morning. The decedent appeared to have been discarded with no signs of the homicide occurring in the area. Upon inspection, the victim was deceased and burnt beyond recognition.

At the time of the original investigation, the

victim and all suspects were unknown. With minimal information and no suspects or leads in the case, Officer Furr conducted a thorough and systematic search of the scene for any items with evidentiary value.

During his search, Officer Furr located an item of evidence that likely had been overlooked as garbage or medical debris near the scene. Officer Furr followed his training and experience to collect the item.

Officer Furr proceeded to painstakingly process items he collected at the scene for latent prints. The one item was processed, photographed and lead to an identification of a suspect in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System. The latent identification blew the investigation wide open, leading to the suspect’s arrest.

Prince William County Police Department

INVESTIGATIVE MERIT AWARD

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eginning around May 20, 2019, several residents began reporting stolen vehicles and larcenies from vehicles within the Western District of Prince William County.

Three suspects were identified during the investigation from fingerprints and witness interviews. During the investigation, it was discovered that the same group was also involved in an armed home invasion and a strong-arm robbery. After surveillance was conducted and sufficient evidence gathered, the three suspects were taken into custody and then interviewed on May 31, 2019,

providing confessions and implicating their involvement in 16 cases including numerous larcenies from Autos, Vehicle Trespasses and Grand Larceny from Autos.

The suspects committed a multitude of different crimes, which brought together several assets of our department. Detectives Nader Qura, Kevin Hook, Tommy Rodriquez, Tommy Davis, John Kennedy and Cam Crouch, as well as Sergeant Caillen Smith and Officers Timothy Clark and Felipe Villalobos all played integral roles in identifying the suspects and linking the various cases together.

Detective Nader Qura

Detective Kevin Hook

Detective Tommy Rodriquez

Detective Eric Davis

Officer Felipe Villalobos Reyes

Detective Jonathan Kennedy

Sergeant Caillen Smith

Detective Cameron Crouch

Officer Timothy Clark

Prince William County Police Department

MERIT AWARD FOR VALOR O

n September 7, 2019, Officers Hume, Seals, and Spina responded to the Occoquan River Bridge on Jefferson Davis Highway in reference to a subject who was sitting on the wall overlooking the river. All three units quickly ascertained that the individual was in crisis and threatening to jump. Officer Spina was able to quickly relay the information over the radio while Officers Hume and Seals began to establish a rapport with the individual. The individual was acting extremely erratic and kept making threats to jump if the officers did not perform certain tasks. Officer Seals and Hume did an excellent job not only stalling but using their Crisis Intervention Team skills to begin to calm down the individual.

After about thirty minutes of speaking with the individual, Sgt. Jensen responded as the

Sergeant Dennis Jensen

Officer Jonathan Seals

negotiator. He was able to insert himself into the situation seamlessly and keep the man calm enough to begin talking rationally. After another thirty minutes of communication, Sgt. Jensen convinced him to come off the wall, lay down in the street, and be handcuffed peacefully. The individual was taken into custody on an Emergency Custody Order without further incident.

Arriving on-scene and using outstanding verbal tactics is why the individual is alive today and will be able to get the help he needs. Sgt. Jensen’s ability to defuse a stressful scene by establishing a rapport with an individual in crisis is extraordinary, and all the officers mentioned above deserve to be commended for their actions.

Officer Liam Spina

Officer Christopher Hume

Prince William County Police Department

VALOROUS UNIT AWARD

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n October 18, 2019 at approximately 2130 hours, officers expedited to a stabbing-in-progress call in Lake Ridge. Once there they encountered a shirtless male carrying a young female down the apartment building stairs and noticed the juvenile’s upper body covered in blood. Thinking the male was bringing the injured juvenile to police for help, it was shocking to see the male reach the bottom of the stairs and repeatedly punch the juvenile female in her face. Without hesitation, officers ran to and confronted the male. It took several officers to get the resisting suspect, believed to be under the influence of an illegal substance, into custody.

Meanwhile, Officers utilized items from Department trauma kits to provide vital first

aid to the juvenile victim who was suffering from a multitude of stab wounds to her torso, face and arms. They packed puncture wounds with gauze and applied pressure in attempt to control bleeding. Other Officers made their way to the apartment associated with the call. There they located a second victim suffering from multiple stab wounds all over her body. They cleared the apartment and began providing critical first aid to this victim prior to Rescue’s arrival.

All the officers involved in this incident should be commended. Their apprehension of the homicidal suspect and the life-saving actions performed undoubtedly aided in the preservation of the lives of a young girl and her mother.

Criminal Investigations Division, Special Investigations Bureau, Joint Narcotics Task Force

Officer Christopher Seise

Officer Casey Nelsen

Officer Christopher Paradis

Officer Ryan Lindous

Officer Kara Brown

Officer Kevin MacFarlane

Officer Matthew Ernst

Officer Andrew Smyth

Officer Sarah Kolkmeyer

Officer Kelsey Hannemann

Officer Thomas Wheeler

Officer Ajay Singh

Officer Colby Matthews

Sergeant Darren Hadro

Prince William County Police Department

MERIT AWARD FOR VALOR

Officer Brian Mundon

Officer William Ward

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n March 3, 2019 at 3:07 a.m., Officer Zachary Smith was the first officer on-scene of a shooting and was directed to an apartment by an individual on the ground level. Officer Smith directed the man to stay there and requested responding officers to detain the individual while he checked on the victim. He located the victim in the doorway of an apartment suffering from a single gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Officer Tokarski radioed that he had the previously encountered individual at gunpoint after he attempted to flee. Officer Smith left the victim momentarily to check on the safety of Officer Tokarski as well as to obtain a trauma kit from Officer Tokarski.

After returning to the victim, Officer Smith observed that the victim was not breathing and did not have a pulse. He initiated

Prince William County Police Department

BRONZE AWARD FOR VALOR

Officer Zachary Smith

compressions while continuing to update over the radio about the victim’s status. After three rounds of compressions, Officer Smith detected a pulse and observed breathing.

Officer Smith momentarily left the victim with Officer Mundon and Officer Ward while he cleared the apartment to make the scene secure for rescue. Upon returning to the victim Officers Smith, Mundon and Ward applied two chest seals from Officer Ward’s trauma kit to the victim to enclose his wounds. Officers Mundon and Ward continued to keep a check on the victim’s pulse and consciousness while Officer Smith began the initial investigation. This helped to stabilize the victim while waiting for rescue to arrive.

The victim was air transported to Fairfax Hospital and survived surgery to repair his wounds.

Prince William County Police Department

BRONZE AWARD FOR VALOR

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n the early morning hours of August 15, 2019, Officer Ragan and Officer Edwards responded to a Domestic with weapons situation where a suspect was threatening his wife and family with a knife and a BB gun. Both officers arrived simultaneously and were approached by the victim in front of the residence. Due to the high priority of the call more officers were dispatched and in route.

After speaking with the victim, Officers Ragan and Edwards approached the residence and observed the suspect at the doorway. Due to the previous information that was obtained stating the suspect was armed, Officer Edwards gave commands to step out of the residence and show his

Officer Michael Ragan

Officer Anthony Edwards

hands. The suspect eventually emerged from the residence and charged towards Officer Edwards with a knife in his hand. Both officers gave commands to the suspect to “Drop It”, but he did not comply and continued to charge towards the officers. Officers Ragan and Edwards discharged their weapons and stopped the threat. Officers Edwards and Ragan remained calm as additional officers arrived on-scene and determined that the officers were ok. Officers gave first aid to the suspect while waiting for Rescue to arrive.

Additional officers checked on the welfare of the occupants of the house and ensured their safety. Due to these officers’ quick thinking, they were able to prevent more harm to this family.

Prince William County Police Department

BRONZE AWARD FOR VALOR

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fficers Ragan and Matthews were dispatched to an address on Tiger Lily Circle to assist fire and rescue with a townhouse fire. The Officers were first on-scene and observed the residence in flames. The Officers responded to the rear of the residence and saw the occupants trapped on the third floor. Due to the townhouse filled with smoke, Officer Ragan and Matthews

Officer Michael Ragan

knowingly climbed the rear deck putting themselves in danger due to the deck being on fire. The Officers were then able to reach and assist the family out of the third-floor window. Officer Ragan and Matthews then assisted them off the rear deck and safely away from the residence. The two Officers placed their lives in jeopardy to save the lives of the family inside.

Officer Colby Matthews

Prince William County Police Department

SILVER AWARD FOR VALOR

O Master Police Officer Joseph T. Allen

n October 8, 2019, Master Police Officer Joe Allen was vacationing on the beach in St. Augustine Beach, Florida.

He entered the water but determined it was too choppy and dangerous to swim, so he decided to stay on the beach until condi-

tions changed.

While on the beach he thought he heard yelling from the water. He got up and walked toward the water to investigate, at which point he heard someone yelling “Help!�. MPO Allen commandeered a boogie board from a bystander and entered further into the water.

He observed two heads bobbing in the water approximately 75 yards from his position. He began to swim towards the two victims. By

the time he reached the drowning swimmers (a father and his 14-year-old son), both were exhausted and barely able to hold their heads above water. MPO Allen placed their hands on the boogie board, kept them calm, and reassured them help was on the way. MPO Allen held onto the board as waves battered the three swimmers. At times MPO Allen had to grab the exhausted swimmers as they fell off the boogie board.

Public safety officers entered the water and reached MPO Allen and the two other swimmers. Ultimately, all three were brought to safety.

Had MPO Allen not acted quickly and decisively, this incident would have ended tragically. Despite being off-duty, he rose to the occasion and placed himself at significant risk to save two strangers.

Narcotics Task Force

INVESTIGATIVE MERIT AWARD O n March 14, 2019, the Narcotics Task Force investigated an overdose death of a Prince William County resident which led to the arrest of a suspect who provided the lethal dose of drugs to the victim. The Task Force obtained information from sources and together with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, investigated deeper into the distribution network from which the suspect obtained his narcotics.

The Task Force conducted many hours of surveillance leading to the discovery of a regional supplier who lives in Maryland. During a surveillance operation, Detectives observed the supplier meet with numerous individuals at the shopping center as he appeared to be conducting transactions. The Task Force developed a source who was able to introduce an undercover FBI agent to the supplier.

Several controlled buys of Fentanyl from the suspected supplier were conducted at his office building in D.C. Because of the information developed during the initial investigation, on September 24, 2019, the Narcotics Task Force assisted the FBI in a federal operation to arrest the supplier and conduct a search warrant at his residence. The suspect was in possession of 30 grams of Fentanyl at the time of arrest. A search of his residence resulted in the seizure of over 56 grams of Fentanyl, three handguns (one stolen from Maryland), cash, and four vehicles. A search of the suspect’s work space in his office also revealed seven additional grams of Fentanyl.

This investigation was an outstanding example of team work between local and federal law enforcement officers.

Prince William County Police Department

First Sergeant Kenneth Hulsey

Detective Daniel Sekely

Detective Brandon Hunt

Photos not available Detective Nicholas Waymire, Detective Joshua Lane, Detective Jeremy Booth, Detective Simon Chu, Detective Stephen Cieslinski, Detective Neal Anglin, Detective Walter O’Neal, Detective Donald DeShazo, Detective Wayne Smith, Detective Robert White, Sergeant Donna Edelen, First Sergeant Michael Sullivan

City of Manassas Police Department Photos not available Detective Brittany Alexander, Detective Ryan Daisey

City of Manassas Park Police Department Photos not available Detective Christopher Koglin

OUR MEMBERS SHARE THEIR THANKS…

Burke & Herbert Bank salutes the brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to preserving the safety and quality of life of those around them. As a member of the Prince William business community, we are proud to support the Valor Awards and have this opportunity to recognize you for your extraordinary work. We applaud your bravery, thank you for your service, and congratulate you on your success!

Zeiders salutes our Law Enforcement Officers, Fire and Rescue Workers, and all First Responders. We extend our thanks and appreciation to the many First Responders who sacrifice their time and safety to make Prince William a better and safer place to live, work, and visit. Your contributions to the quality of life of our community are beyond measure. Zeiders is proud to honor the outstanding accomplishments of the recipients of these Valor Awards.

“Thank you to all the Valor Award Recipients from the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI”

To Our Police, Fire and Rescue Heroes

We are proud to sponsor the reception after the 2020 Valor Awards. This is a small way that we can show our appreciation to your unwavering heroism and appreciate your service.

We welcome you to any of our restaurants and offer a 10% discount to our Military, Police, Fire and Rescue Service Members.

Sincerely,

Proud Sponsors for the 2020Â Valor Awards!

Recognizing Police, Fire and Rescue Departments and what they do-Heroics "Each and every day, the brave men and women who wear the honored uniform of our police, sheriff, Fire Department and EMT Units-go to work every day not knowing what challenges and personal dangers will confront them. Yet, they remain fully committed to responding to any challenge, fearlessly and decisively.

It is truly our privilege to recognize you for your courageous and tireless service to your community."

-DR. GARY L. JONES, YOUTH FOR TOMORROW

To the men and women who have dedicated themselves to a life of service.

Thank You

Congrats Valor Awards Recipients

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val•or (văl’әr) n. Courage and boldness; bravery.

Sentara Healthcare is proud to sponsor the 34th Annual Valor Awards.

We salute your courage, boldness and bravery.

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