Deputies Earn Awards for Valor

Three Clay County Deputies and two dispatchers received the Bronze Award for Valor today at the 50th Annual Metropolitan Chiefs and Sheriff’s Association’s Awards for Valor.

Photo courtesy Clay County Sheriff's Office

Just before midnight on July 20, 2019, deputies were dispatched to the Missouri River near the Cooley Lake River Access for a water rescue. 

Four people were on the Missouri River training for an upcoming kayaking competition. All four people were experienced kayakers but had contacted 911 after an un-predicted storm had moved into the area, and the winds from the storm blew their kayaks over in the Missouri River. They were able to get to the side of the river, but due to the steep cliff-like shores, they could not get out of the river. 

Dispatcher Kolton Roark and Dispatcher Trish Wadell used the tools they had to guide deputies as close as they could to the victims. They kept the victims on the phone to maintain contact.

Sergeant James Bush, Corporal Cody Minnis and Corporal Jason Garcia arrived in the area and couldn’t find the kayakers. The dispatchers guided them to a railroad access road, where they parked their cars and hiked towards the river in a downpour for more than 300 yards. The area was so muddy from recent flooding that the deputies were sinking in mud up to their knees hiking toward the kayakers.

When directed to by Dispatchers Roark and Waddell, the victims blew their rescue whistles, and deputies were finally able to locate them. They tied a rope to a tree, then tossed it down to the victims and pulled them up to dry land. The kayakers were not injured.

KPGZ News - The Clay County Sheriff's Office contributed to this story