By Amanda Lubinski
ALubinski@cherryroad.com
CLAY COUNTY — Dozens of Clay County Sheriff’s Office members were presented awards for heroism, compassion and service at an award ceremony held in conjunction with the sheriff’s office’s Citizen Academy graduation this fall.
Sheriff’s Office deputy Sgt. Ty Edwards was recognized for becoming a certified canine narcotics trainer through the North American Police Work Dog Association.
“Sgt. Edwards had to be a certified canine deputy and member of the Work Dog Association for at least three years before he could even apply to become a trainer. Then, he had to work for at least 100 hours with a sponsor master trainer. After that, he had to get a minimum of 25 critique hours from two other master trainers,” wrote Sarah Boyd, the office’s public relations manager, in a release about the recognition. “He had to write lesson plans for a 400-hour class and then pass an exam of 50 essay questions. He also had to meet with a panel of master trainers and the accreditation chair of the North American Police Work Dog Association for an hour-long interview.”
With the certification, Edwards can now lead the office’s training rather than outsource it.
In addition to recognition for his certification, Edwards and deputies Brandon Cranmer, Tanner Eslinger, Cameron MacDonald and Kyle Rasche received commendations for heroism stemming from a 911 call in February regarding a domestic violence situation that had a man threatening to use his girlfriend as a “human shield” if law enforcement arrived at the home.
“They could see blood on the front door. A man inside repeatedly told them they could come in, but for their safety, they asked him to come out instead. He said he couldn’t because both his legs were broken. They could hear the faint sounds of a woman’s voice inside. They pushed the door open about 1 foot to see inside, at which point they heard the man tell the woman, ‘Please don’t watch.’ Fearing they could be ambushed, the deputies withdrew and took cover,” reads a sheriff’s office description of the scene when deputies arrived. “Deputies ordered both people out of the house, but they refused and the man said deputies would have to shoot and kill him. … They tried to communicate with the home’s occupants for almost half an hour.”
It was later learned the suspect severely assaulted his father, who was in the hospital, said Boyd. Once deputies were able to get the suspect in custody, according to the sheriff’s office, he tried destroying the inside of the patrol vehicle, prompting deputies to place him in shackles, a waist belt, spit hood and hobble restraint.
“The deputies showed exceptional judgment in a high-stress and volatile situation. They limited the risk of death to everyone involved because of their quick-thinking and de-escalation skills,” wrote Boyd.
Eslinger and deputies Christopher Griffin and Collin Ward received commendation for life-saving measures they helped provide to an unresponsive baby at Worlds of Fun this summer.
“Initially, they thought the 1-year-old was choking. They did back strikes multiple times trying to dislodge whatever might be stuck. When the park’s medic got on scene, they soon realized it might be a seizure instead. Deputies continued to assist the medic, and by the time the Kansas City Fire Department arrived, the boy was breathing on his own, had a good pulse and was beginning to regain consciousness. An ambulance took him to the hospital,” wrote Boyd.
The baby’s mother later learned he had a febrile seizure.
“He made a full recovery and is back to normal now. In media interviews after the incident, the boy’s mother repeatedly said how grateful she was for the deputies’ care of her son that night,” wrote Boyd.
Deputy Tyler Kalbfleisch received a commendation for coming to the aid of a suicidal person at Smithville Lake this summer.
“He walked up to the 22-year-old person who said they were suicidal. Deputy Kalbfleisch developed a rapport with them and convinced them to come away from the edge of the bridge. The person had bleeding cuts on their inner arms and told Deputy Kalbfleisch they had just taken 20 prescription antihistamine pills. They had thrown their phone in the lake and were about to jump in when Deputy Kalbfleisch arrived and interrupted their plans,” said Boyd. “Deputy Kalbfleisch took them into his car and requested an ambulance. He convinced the individual to go in the ambulance and had a sergeant contact their father.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the next day, the individual’s father contacted the sheriff’s office to thank them for being there and intervening.
“I was impressed with Deputy Kalbfleisch’s actions on June 14 and truly believe if he didn’t stop and check on that vehicle, that the individual would have attempted to take his life that night by jumping in the lake,” said responding Sgt. Cody Thomas.
School Resource Deputy Sheperd Owens received commendation for his efforts to create the Law Enforcement Career Path Program at Winnetonka High School, which teaches students about law enforcement careers. Multiple students from the program have gone on to have careers in law enforcement.
This year, Owens worked with the school’s activities director so students can earn a varsity letter for the program, which requires a student to have at least 90% attendance, a minimum 3.0 GPA, be in the program for at least two years and complete 10 service hours per school year.
“It provides a tangible way to build relationships with youth, teach them about law enforcement careers and recognize them for their dedication and hard work,” reads a sheriff’s office release about the program.
