News release from the Indiana State Police:
Six Fort Wayne Troopers Honored at Awards Ceremony
Indianapolis, IN (April 16, 2016) – Six Troopers from the Fort Wayne District were honored yesterday afternoon at an awards ceremony at the Indiana Government Center in Indianapolis.
Indiana State Police Superintendent Douglas G. Carter presented Troopers Christopher Kinsey, Jonathon Amburgey, Anthony Repass, Trent Kiefer, Donald Stoffel and Caleb Anderson awards for their service to the State of Indiana.
Trooper Christopher Kinsey was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions in helping to save a man trapped in a vehicle that was submerged in Big Bower Lake in Steuben County on July 23, 2015. Kinsey responded to the dispatch and met with an area resident who heard the vehicle enter the lake and said that the occupant was still inside. The vehicle was submerged on its passenger side in about 10 feet of water. Kinsey dove down and was able use a window punch to break a back window. He was only able to locate the occupant by touch due to the murky conditions. He dove down several times until a trained diver from the Steuben County Sheriff Department’s Underwater Rescue Team arrived. Together, with a third officer, they removed the victim from the vehicle and swam him to shore. He was flown by air ambulance to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne where he was pronounced dead three times before being resuscitated. Trooper Kinsey’s actions “involved personal bravery and self-sacrifice at a level beyond expectations”.
Trooper Jonathon Amburgey was awarded a Lifesaving Award for his actions on April 4, 2015. Amburgey responded to a residence north of Columbia City, in Whitley County, where a man was reportedly not breathing. Upon his arrival, Amburgey observed a father giving his 29 year old son CPR. Amburgey and other emergency personnel relieved the father and continued to administer CPR until a faint pulse was detected and the victim began to gasp for air. However, after about a minute, the victim’s heart stopped beating again. CPR was continued allowing medics to perform more advanced life-saving measures. After about 40 minutes, these efforts made it possible for the victim to be transported to the hospital. The young man continues his recovery from this life threatening incident and is making plans to complete his college degree. Trooper Amburgey is “commended for his extraordinary conduct in saving the life of a fellow human being”.
Trooper Anthony Repass was awarded a Lifesaving Award for his actions on December 25, 2015. Repass responded to a dispatch of an unresponsive man in a pickup truck at the intersection of US 224 and State Road 1 in Wells County. Repass arrived within one minute, determined the unresponsive man did not have a pulse and immediately began to administer CPR. Once the medics arrived, they assumed medical care on their way to the hospital. The victim’s heart returned to a normal rhythm after hospital emergency personnel shocked him 14 times. Doctors indicated that if Repass had not acted not only as he had, but as quickly as he had, the outcome would have been “detrimental” to the patient’s health. Trooper Repass is “commended for his extraordinary conduct in saving the life of a fellow human being”.
Master Trooper Trent Kiefer was awarded a Lifesaving Award for his actions on December 5, 2015. Kiefer, who was off-duty and shopping at the Wal-Mart store in Huntington (Huntington County), when he encountered a 48 year old unconscious man without a pulse in the parking lot. Kiefer immediately ran to his police vehicle and retrieved his automatic external defibrillator (AED). Upon applying the AED to the man’s chest, it advised that a shock was necessary. Kiefer applied the shock and within moments, medics arrived to resume life-saving efforts. The victim was said to have been breathing on his own before being transported to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne. Medics credited Kiefer’s quick actions for directly contributing to the life-saving efforts for the victim. Master Trooper Kiefer is “commended for his extraordinary conduct in saving the life of a fellow human being”.
Master Trooper Donald Stoffel was awarded as the 2015 Fort Wayne District Trooper of the Year. This award was presented to Stoffel for achieving outstanding enforcement efforts in the areas of traffic and criminal enforcement, case and crash investigations, public information programs and community service; and for exemplifying the professionalism and integrity expected of an Indiana State Trooper.
The O.W.I. Award was presented to Trooper Caleb Anderson for his efforts in removing impaired and intoxicated motorists from Indiana’s roadways. Anderson was awarded for his efforts of arresting 46 impaired drivers in 2015.
The actions and dedication to duty of Troopers Kinsey, Amburgey, Repass, Kiefer, Stoffel and Anderson are in keeping with the finest traditions of law enforcement and reflect great credit upon themselves and the Indiana State Police Department.
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