DATE: June 12, 2015
The following citations were approved by the department’s District and Division Review Panels and the
Board of Awards Committee. The ranks of the officers are those held at the time of the request for citation.
Bravery Award:
Tpr. Richard S. Carlson and Tpr. James R. Leonard are receiving the Bravery and Lifesaving awards for their heroic actions in
saving the life of a child. On January 29, 2015, Troopers Carlson and Leonard were dispatched to a burning residence along
with an Otsego County Sheriff’s deputy. While en route, they were notified a two-year-old child was still trapped inside the
house. Upon arrival, the troopers observed heavy smoke and flames coming from all areas of the residence. They initially
attempted to make entry through the front door of the residence, but the smoke and heat prevented them from getting
inside. The 18-year-old babysitter advised the child was in a back bedroom with glass doors leading outside. Trooper
Leonard and the sheriff’s deputy broke the glass doors in an effort to gain entry inside.
Trooper Carlson entered the room with Trooper Leonard holding his gun belt to maintain contact with the exit point, and
began searching for the child. Heat and heavy smoke made it impossible for Trooper Carlson to see or breathe inside;
however; he made multiple attempts to re-enter to try finding the infant using only his sense of touch. When Trooper
Carlson was unable to locate the child in the room, he and the sheriff’s deputy moved to the side of the residence to locate
another entry point. Trooper Carlson and the sheriff’s deputy broke out a side window of the bedroom allowing some of
the smoke to momentarily dissipate. As a result, Trooper Leonard was able to locate a “pack and play” crib and drag it to
the door, where he discovered a motionless infant lying in the crib face down. He removed the infant from the crib and
found he had no pulse, was not breathing, and had black soot covering his nose, face, and mouth.
Trooper Leonard set the infant on a small table outside of the home and began chest compressions, while Trooper Carlson
retrieved a respiratory mask from the patrol car. They moved the infant to the roadway where the troopers performed CPR
for a few minutes until a pulse was obtained, then continued administering rescue breathing until the infant could breathe
on his own. Once emergency medical personnel arrived, the infant was transported to Otsego Memorial Hospital and later
transported by MedFlight to Flint Hurley Hospital for further treatment. In awarding both of the department’s Bravery and
Lifesaving awards to Troopers Carlson and Leonard, the Board of Awards recognizes the incredible courage and heroic
actions demonstrated by these troopers undoubtedly saved the infant’s life.
Meritorious Service Award:
D/Sgt. James T. Bundshuh is receiving the Meritorious Service Award for his thorough and complete investigation of the
Romulus Police Department Special Investigation Unit for possible embezzlement. D/Sergeant Bundshuh and D/F/Lt. Dale
Smith investigated this case for over three years at the request of the Romulus police chief at the time. During the span of
the investigation, one of the suspects became the Romulus police chief and the other police officers under investigation
worked to obstruct and hinder the case. The suspects created false documents and police reports in an attempt to cover
their crimes and mislead D/Sergeant Bundshuh. As a result of the thorough investigative efforts of D/Sergeant Bundshuh,
charges were brought against six officers and the wife of the police chief, including charges of criminal enterprise,
embezzlement by a public official, neglect of duty, receiving and concealing stolen property, and misconduct in office. All of
the individuals charged either agreed to a plea deal or were found guilty by a jury. If it were not for the dedication and
expert investigative skills of D/Sergeant Bundshuh, these police officers would have been able to continue their criminal
enterprise.
Lifesaving Award:
Tpr. James S. Gilmer is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On January 5, 2015, Trooper Gilmer
responded to a residence to find a 40-year-old woman with a five-inch cut on her thigh from a suicide attempt. The victim
was bleeding profusely and there were obvious signs of arterial bleeding. Trooper Gilmer applied a towel to the wound and
held the victim’s leg in an elevated position for more than five minutes, while continuing to talk to the victim to prevent her
from going unconscious. Once emergency medical personnel arrived, Trooper Gilmer helped pack the wound and prevent
the victim from further injuring herself or others while being transported to the hospital. If not for the actions of Trooper
Gilmer, the victim would have succumbed to her injuries.
Tpr. Donald F. Pasternak is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On January 9, 2015, Trooper
Pasternak was dispatched to a multi-vehicle crash on US-23 in Washtenaw County. Upon arrival, Trooper Pasternak
searched each of the vehicles to determine if anyone needed assistance, at which time he came across a large amount of
blood coming from a semi-truck. As he approached the semi-truck, he made contact with the driver who was pinned by the
door and steering wheel and stated he was losing a lot of blood. Trooper Pasternak applied a tourniquet to the driver’s
severely injured left leg, immediately stopping the bleeding. Trooper Pasternak remained with the victim until emergency
medical personnel arrived and transported him to the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. Due to the expertise
and quick action of Trooper Pasternak, the victim was able to survive the incident as well as retain both legs.
Tpr. Raymond J. Matthews is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On September 5, 2014, Trooper
Matthews responded to a motorcycle accident on I-94 in Washtenaw County. Upon arrival, Trooper Matthews discovered
the victim was bleeding, confused, and stumbling around. Soon after, the victim suddenly lay down, lost consciousness, and
appeared to stop breathing. Trooper Matthews performed the chin-lift technique several times to restore and maintain
breathing until emergency medical personnel arrived. Thanks to Trooper Matthews’ quick actions, the motorcyclist
survived.
Tpr. Matthew T. Unterbrink is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On January 1, 2015, Trooper
Unterbrink was responding to a crash when another vehicle drove past his patrol car and struck a Romulus Fire Department
ambulance at an alarmingly high speed. Trooper Unterbrink rushed to the vehicle and discovered the driver was
unconscious and slumped over in the passenger seat. Trooper Unterbrink broke out the passenger window and
repositioned the driver upright and opened his airway, at which time the victim began breathing again. Trooper Unterbrink
maintained the victim’s airway while maintaining a c-spine hold until the driver could be removed and transported by
Lifeflight to the hospital. Due to the severe damage to the vehicle, it took the fire department over 20 minutes to extract
the driver. Thanks to the prompt and expert tactics performed by Trooper Unterbrink, the victim survived.
Tpr. Scott O. Sholander is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On April 16, 2014, Tprs. Andrew
Merryweather and Scott Sholander were dispatched to a wrong-way driver on US-131. While attempting to stop the driver,
the vehicle struck another vehicle head-on. Both vehicles caught fire and the driver of the second vehicle died upon impact.
The passenger of the second vehicle was unresponsive and the passenger side door was pinned shut with the window only
down a couple of inches. The fire inside the car was growing quickly and the troopers observed gasoline leaking from the
fuel tank. Trooper Merryweather used a fire extinguisher in an attempt to control the flames, while Trooper Sholander
removed the passenger side window by pulling on it with his hands. Trooper Sholander and an officer from the Otsego
Police Department removed the passenger from the burning vehicle through the passenger side window. The passenger
survived the incident with multiple broken bones, but her life was preserved due to the quick actions of the first responders
on-scene.
Tpr. Phillip M. McNabnay is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On June 25, 2014, Tpr. Phillip
McNabnay and Tpr. Christopher Shoemaker were returning from the shooting range following their summer shoot, when
they were dispatched to a domestic violence incident. Upon their arrival, they discovered a 15-year-old suspect standing on
the roof of the two-story house covered in blood and holding a knife. An elderly female victim was seen standing in the
doorway, bleeding profusely from a wound to the neck. The suspect jumped off the roof and attempted to flee the scene
on foot. Trooper Shoemaker used his TASER to end the pursuit of the suspect and both troopers took the suspect into
custody. Trooper McNabnay then began providing first aid to the elderly victim. Trooper McNabnay propped the victim up
to lean against him, which allowed him to apply pressure without obstructing her breathing or blood flow to the brain. This
also allowed the victim to breathe without choking on her own blood. Next, Trooper McNabnay applied a pressure bandage
to help manage the bleeding. After emergency medical personnel arrived, she was transported to the hospital where she
underwent emergency surgery, which she survived. Trooper McNabnay’s actions and expert use of first aid equipment
saved the victim from the potentially fatal wound.
Tpr. Raymond L. Hoffman is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On October 30, 2014, Trooper
Hoffman responded to a medical assist call in Leighton Township. Upon arrival, Trooper Hoffman discovered a 54-year-old
patient in cardiac arrest. Trooper Hoffman administered CPR on the subject until emergency medical personnel arrived, at
which time he continued chest compressions. Trooper Hoffman helped load the patient into the ambulance and took
rotating turns administering chest compressions and securing an airway. While the patient passed away one week later, the
actions of Trooper Hoffman saved the patient that day providing the family an opportunity to say goodbye.
Tpr. Dieter A. Kochan is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On January 19, 2015, Trooper Kochan
responded to a medical emergency of a 77-year-old female who was choking. Upon arrival, he discovered the victim was
unresponsive and her sons were attempting CPR. They advised Trooper Kochan that their mother choked on a piece of
turkey, turned blue, and collapsed. Trooper Kochan’s initial assessment found a shallow pulse, no breathing, and nothing in
the victim’s mouth. He began chest compressions, and within moments, was able to get air into her lungs. However, she
still could not breathe on her own. An officer from the Keweenaw Bay Tribal Police Department arrived and assisted with
applying chest compressions and checking her mouth. Next, Trooper Kochan sat her upright and tried the Heimlich
maneuver, and after a couple attempts, the victim coughed up a piece of turkey and began breathing on her own. The
victim was conscious and talking to Trooper Kochan when the ambulance arrived to transport her to the hospital for further
observation. Thanks to Trooper Kochan’s quick response, the female survived.
Sgt. Kathy L. Morton is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On October 10, 2014, Sergeant Morton
was off-duty having dinner at a restaurant with her mother. Her mother began choking on a piece of meat, turned blue in
the face, and could not breathe. Sergeant Morton immediately took action and administered an abdominal thrust
technique to successfully dislodge the food. Sergeant Morton’s prompt and expert actions saved her mother’s life.
Tpr. Lane T. Booms is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On May 28, 2015, Trooper Booms was
assisting the Barry County Sheriff’s Department by performing a canine track on a suicidal subject who was wanted for a
personal protection order violation. The subject left his vehicle in a rural area with a visible suicide note inside the car.
Trooper Booms and his canine, Pido, followed the trail and discovered the subject in the woods in a tree with a noose
around his neck. After verbal attempts failed, the subject jumped from the tree with the noose still around his neck.
Trooper Booms rushed to the subject to hold his legs to lessen the pressure in an attempt to prevent the suicide attempt.
The subject continued to struggle and lost consciousness. Trooper Booms cut the rope from the tree and from the subject’s
neck and discovered the subject was not breathing. At this point, Trooper Booms began lifesaving first aid measures,
including chest compressions. The subject began breathing and was removed from the forest by backboard and off-road
vehicle transport. The quick and decisive actions displayed by Trooper Booms played a vital role in saving this man’s life.
Tpr. Kenneth L. Weismiller is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of a child. On November 9, 2014, Trooper
Weismiller was eating dinner at his parent’s home when his two-year-old nephew began choking on a piece of steak.
Trooper Weismiller quickly took action and administered five back blows to the child, then flipped the child over and
noticed a chunk of steak in his mouth. He extracted the meat with his fingers and the child immediately sucked in a large
breath. The child’s life was saved due to the quick and expert response by Trooper Weismiller.
D/Sgt. Mitchell J. Stevens is receiving the Lifesaving Award for saving the life of another. On January 19, 2015, D/Sergeant
Stevens was off-duty and playing hockey at a local rink in Gaylord when he was asked by members of the opposing team to
help a player who was suffering from a seizure and became unresponsive on the bench. The player had a weak pulse and
was struggling to breath, which quickly turned into no pulse and no breathing. D/Sergeant Stevens administered CPR until
someone located an automated external defibrillator (AED). After several shocks from the AED, the subject still was not
breathing and did not have a pulse. D/Sergeant Stevens continued CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived and the
subject was transported to the hospital. Thanks to D/Sergeant Steven’s quick thinking and response, the subject survived
the heart attack.
Professional Excellence:
Tpr. Greg P. Galarneau
Tpr. Denis P. McCarthy
Sgt. Mark E. Thompson
Tpr. Steven J. Rando
Tpr. Anglo M Brown
Tpr. Jeffrey A. Rucinski
Tpr. George R. Frantz
Tpr. Anthony P. Montie
Tpr. William P. Smith
Tpr. Scott D. Trafelet
D/Sgt. Jennifer L. Pinar
Tpr. Paul E. Arrowood
Tpr. Richard P. Carlson
Tpr. Orville J. Hamilton
D/Tpr/Spl. Roberto Anaya
Tpr. Joseph A. Pendergraff
Unit Citation:
D/Tpr/Spl. Matthew J. Jordan
D/Sgt. Eric L. Wilber
D/Tpr/Spl. Matthew T. Williams
The next Board of Awards Committee meeting is June 25, 2015.