Plain City Police Chief Dale McKee honored several members of his department at Monday’s council meeting. Pictured above are, from left, Mckee, officer Stephen Drake, officer David Drudy, officer Aaron Howard and officer Clint Lake.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Mac Cordell)
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Plain City Police Chief Dale McKee and village council honored several police officers at Monday night’s council meeting.
McKee honored Sgt. Tharon Prather and Officer Josh Hirtzinger for how they handled an incident Saturday. McKee said police received an emergency call about a man with a gun threatening to hurt his family and attempting to commit suicide. He said the man was allegedly also threatening to harm any first responders arriving at the scene.
When the officers arrived, they found the woman had been able to get her and the children out of the home. They learned the man had already attempted suicide.
“That’s when Sgt. Prather decided to go in,” McKee said.
He said Prather was able to revive the man, saving his life. He said the entire situation was, “pretty intense.”
Officers Stephen Drake, David Drudy, Aaron Howard and Clint Lake were also honored at the meeting Each officer received letters of commendation from the Union County Sheriff’s Office, stemming from a pair of incidents in September.
On Sept. 24, the officers were involved in an incident that began at a restaurant in Jerome Township. A woman allegedly hit another woman with a gun. McKee said it was “basically a love triangle.” He said the woman left the restaurant and was coming to Plain City, where the man involved resides. McKee said the woman was “coming here to take care of business.”
The officers were able to locate and stop the car before there was any more trouble. McKee said the woman had her 15-year-old son in the car during the incident.
Drudy and Howard were also honored for their actions Sept. 17.
According to court documents, at about 2 a.m. that day, the owner of a business on Unionville Road saw two men inside his business.
The men allegedly entered the business through a partially open garage door, taking a mini bike and various tools.
Union County Prosecutor Dave Phillips said at least one of the men, Corey Richard Miller, 24, of Columbus, had allegedly broke into the business before. This time, Phillips said, the business owner was waiting. The business owner confronted the pair. He held the other man at gunpoint while he called the police. Miller fled the scene.
Plain City Police were able to stop the car on Route 161 just outside Plain City.
According to the letters of commendation, Union County Sheriff Jamie Patton wanted to honor “the commitment you have to supporting a neighboring law enforcement agency” as well as “the care you have for the safety of the people in your community.”
“I can’t say enough about the Plain City Police Department under the leadership of Chief McKee,” said Mayor Darrin Lane.
He said drug arrests have increased about 300 percent since the department has added a canine and canine officer. Lane said the arrests are mostly “from people driving through the village, not living here.”