MAYFIELD, KY – On Monday evening January 29, 2024 several Graves County Sheriff’s deputies received awards related to life saving actions taken by the deputies during a variety of incidents across Graves County.
Sheriff Jon Hayden presented the awards and read a synopsis of the actions taken by the deputies during the incidents.
Medals of Valor were given to Deputy Tyler Crane and Deputy Chandler Sirls for their quick action in responding to an active home invasion where armed masked gunmen were in the act of robbing people in the home. This incident occurred on December 09, 2022. A 911 call was received from someone in the home reporting that masked gunmen were in their home attempted to rob them. Deputies response time to this call was under 2 minutes. Deputies Crane and Sirls immediately entered the home to find 16 persons being held against their will, and arrested three masked and armed gunmen, without any shots fired nor anyone being injured.
Deputy Sgt. Richard Edwards received the Life Saving Award for an incident that he responded to near the Tennessee state line on May 21, 2023. A 27 year old mother of an infant had become unresponsive, not breathing with no pulse. Sgt. Edwards arrived and deployed his department issued AED defibrillator and was able to successfully bring life back the woman. First responders then reported she then had a pulse and she later recovered. Had it not been for Sgt. Edwards quick actions, the infant would have grown up without his mother.
Deputy Ben Doran received the Life Saving Award after his response on January 17, 2023 to a single vehicle injury collision in the Cuba area of Graves County. The driver had part of his leg amputated in the crash. Deputy Doran without hesitation and as part of his training, administered first aid and applied a tourniquet to the mans leg to stop the bleeding before ambulance personnel arrived. His actions prevented the man from bleeding out and losing his life.
Deputies Larry Jones and Deputy Sgt. Richard Edwards responded to a vehicle collision on June 11, 2022 in the Hickory area to find one occupant of a vehicle deceased, and the other with grave injuries including an arterial bleed from her arm and severe bleeding from her head. Both deputies administered first aid to stop the bleeding and utilized a tourniquet prior to EMS arrival. Had it not been for their quick action, the second victim would not have survived her injuries.
Deputy Ben Doran was the recipient of another Life Saving Award stemming from an incident that occurred on May 06, 2022. Deputy Doran was nominated for this award by a Kentucky State Police Trooper that reported a vehicle crash resulted in a vehicle being upside down in a creek full of water, and the juvenile female driver being trapped inside. The juvenile was breathing but was unresponsive. The trooper stated that “Deputy Doran stabilized the juvenile and assisted EMS with giving first aid while standing in 2 feet of water. Deputy Doran utilized his first aid training to do all that he could to help the juvenile until EMS arrived.” The trooper went on to say that the child would not have had a chance without Deputy Doran’s actions.
Chief Deputy Jeremy Prince, Deputy Sgt. Richard Edwards, and Deputy Chandler Sirls received a Life Saving Award for their actions on the night of December 10, 2021.
Sgt. Edwards and Deputy Sirls were in the Baltimore area of Graves County at about the time the EF4 Tornado was entering Graves County. They were in the area due to a large Amish population in an effort to warn as the storm approached. The tornado struck their patrol cars obliterating one and severely damaging the other. Both were damaged to the point of not being operable. Upon exiting their damaged patrol cars, and immediately after the tornado passed heading towards the city limits of Mayfield, they heard cries for help off in the distance, in a field. Sheriff Jon Hayden and Chief Dep. Jeremy Prince arrived in the area as the officers were able to located a young Amish girl that was severely injured by the passing tornado. A severe head injury accompanied by an arterial bleed to the leg had taken its toll on the girl as the loss of blood was significant. Deputies found a interior door that had been ripped free from a nearby house by the tornado and utilized it as a gurney to carry the young girl to a nearby Sheriff SUV. Ambulances were unable to respond as the tornado was ripping through Mayfield and the eastern sections of Graves County, so Chief Deputy Prince transported the young lady to a hospital emergency room where she survived her injuries. The law enforcement officers on scene of this horrific event utilized their training, equipment, and experience to use, and in doing so, saved the life of this young lady.
We are honored to recognize these officers for their actions outlined above, because at the end of the day, saving lives and keeping people safe is one of the most important things we can do as public servants and as law enforcement officers.
Thank you,
Sheriff Jon Hayden
