CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office hosted its inaugural Holiday Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Dec. 5. The awards ceremony was started to recognize those who took actions in the line of duty that resulted in saving someone’s life.
Life Saving Award winners were as follows:
- Deputy Herlihey received two Life Saving Awards, one for her response to an overdose call on June 17 and her second for an overdose on June 18. Herlihey administered Narcan in both situations and assisted with other lifesaving measures.
- Deputy Huebner was recognized for his response to an overdose on June 18. Huebner quickly went into action when a detained suspect became unresponsive. Huebner alerted other deputies on scene and administered CPR.
- Deputy Mershon noticed an inmate appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. Mershon questioned the inmate and the inmate admitted to taking pills. While waiting for the inmate to be taken to the hospital, the inmate became unresponsive. Mershon administered Narcan and took other lifesaving measures while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
- Deputy Chapman was first on scene to a shots fired call where one man had been shot in the leg. Chapman applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding and kept the victim conscious until medical personnel arrived.
- Sgt. Johnson responded to a medical emergency in the booking area where an unresponsive inmate was in the critical stages of an overdose. Johnson called for AMR as he administered Narcan. Johnson worked with medical staff in a joint effort to save the individual’s life.
- Deputy Vigil assisted in saving the life of an inmate that had jammed his cell door and tied socks around his neck. With the door only able to open inches, Vigil reached through the opening and dislodged what had been used to jam the door. This allowed staff to enter the room and help the unresponsive inmate.
- Deputies Mondragon and Graham worked together to save a newborn infant. The incarcerated mother was trying to keep the baby from being born, suffocating the infant. Mondragon and Graham assisted the baby, saving its life.
The Purple Heart is awarded to those who were injured in the line of duty. Deputy Ninneman was awarded the Purple Heart Award for an incident where he was stabbed while detaining a suspect.
Squad No. 3 received the Unit Citation Award. Deputies Ninneman, Herlihey, Chapman, Warren and Huebner were recognized for their response to a 911 hang-up call where the suspect stabbed deputy Ninneman while resisting arrest. The suspect was high and went unresponsive due to a drug overdose after being handcuffed. Deputies began CPR and administered Narcan, saving the suspect’s life. Their team effort brings credit to them and the sheriff’s office.
Deputy Lahart received the Commendation Award. Lahart entered a smoke-filled home with a firefighter to find an intoxicated individual who was inside. They found the person unconscious and carried him to safety.
The sheriff’s office awarded Norah Harris with a Civilian Life Saving Award. Harris was stopped at a stop sign on the I-25 Service Road on Sept. 29 when she witnessed a GMC truck strike a metal barrier and roll into a field. The vehicle then caught fire. Norah ran to the burning vehicle and pulled the unconscious driver free. When deputies arrived, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. Norah’s selfless actions clearly saved the life of the driver.
The office recognized employees of the year with a plaque and Sheriff’s Award ribbon.
Detention Deputy of the Year Deputy Martinez has been with the sheriff’s office for five years. He came after retiring from his military career. As an FTO, Martinez trains new deputies to be caring, no-nonsense, hard-working members of the team.
Operations Deputy of the Year Deputy Wilson brings a positive attitude into everything she does and is always willing to go the extra mile.
Civilian Employee of the Year Kaitlynn Martin audited detention billing and found where in 2021 and 2022 over $712,000 in services hadn’t been billed. Her work led to the sheriff’s office recovering over $560,000.
Volunteer of the Year Mike Sand is a retired Colorado law enforcement officer who volunteers doing background checks.
The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office hired over 60 new employees so far this year compared to 32 the previous year.
The Sheriff’s Award went to Deputy Wright. Wright made over 63 warrant arrests to assist with the 2023 patrol goal; many of the arrests were from self-initiated efforts.
Deputy Dudley was pinned with Corporal stripes. Dudley was recently promoted to the rank of corporal in the sheriff’s office’s Detective Division.
The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office gave recognition to all employees who have served the country in the military, present and past, with a Military Service Award. 58 employees received the Military Service Award.
