(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Officers from the Knox and Morrow County Sheriff’s Offices and BCI Special Agents received awards today at the 2011 Ohio Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Conference. Officers from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) received a Distinguished Law Enforcement Group Achievement Award. Two officers from the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office respectively received awards for valor and meritorious service.
“While we honor all the sacrifices law enforcement makes every single day to help protect Ohio families, these awards recognize individual officers and task forces who bravely serve the citizens of Ohio and have provided distinguished service to their communities and departments,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.
Receiving a Distinguished Law Enforcement Group Achievement Award were: Knox County Sheriff David Barber, Captain David Shaffer, Detective Lieutenant Gary Rohler, Detective Sergeant Roger Brown, Detective David Light, and Detective Doug Turpen and BCI Special Agents Ed Carlini, Joe Dietz, Mark Kollar, Ed Lulla, George Staley, Gary Wilgus, and Dan Winterich. The awards were given for the officers’ efforts in a November 2010 search for a 13-year-old girl who had been abducted after her mother, brother, and family friend were murdered in Howard. The team from BCI and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office worked tirelessly and seamlessly to solve the crime and rescue the only survivor. Agents from BCI’s London, Youngstown, and Richfield offices located, photographed, collected, preserved, and classified evidence. Their perseverance paid off when a single piece of evidence led investigators to a person of interest and provided probable cause for three search warrants. These, in turn, resulted in the arrest of the perpetrator and, most importantly, the rescue of a 13-year-old girl who had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted. On January 6, 2011, the perpetrator pleaded guilty to ten felonies, including aggravated murder and rape, and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.
From the Morrow County Sheriff’s Office, Detective Brandon J. Moore received a Distinguished Law Enforcement Valor Award, and Sergeant Robert Chalfant received a Distinguished Law Enforcement Meritorious Service Award. On October 21, 2010, Detective Moore and Sergeant Chalfant responded to a dispute between neighbors near Chesterville and learned one of the individuals may be growing marijuana on the property. While gathering evidence, Detective Moore was shot five times by the suspect. Meanwhile, Sgt. Chalfant learned of the gunfight and quickly returned to the scene, where he radioed for help and subdued the suspect. The suspect was sentenced to 25 years in prison with no opportunity for early release.
A complete list of all award winners is available online at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/NewsReleases.
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