Sheriff Knight Presents Achievement Awards


NEWS RELEASE 17-244 - NOVEMBER 20, 2017

Group Photo                                                            From left: Deputies Troy Stonebraker, Stacy Brandau, Michael Jones, Leo Egan, Andrew Rowe, and Sheriff Tom Knight

Sheriff Tom Knight today presented two deputies with the Heroic Achievement Award and three deputies with the Life Saving Award to recognize their merit and dedication to duty and service to the community.

Deputy Troy Stonebraker and Deputy Stacy Brandau are recognized with the Heroic Achievement Award for their extraordinary heroism after they attempted to save a man from a burning building without regard to their own safety. In early July, Deputies Stonebraker and Brandau arrived on scene of a structure fire and were immediately met by neighbors who advised them the resident was trapped inside the home. Without hesitation, Deputy Stonebraker entered and began crawling along the floor until he located the resident. Deputy Stonebraker, focused on saving the man’s life, was unaware of the danger of the collapsing roof. Recognizing the roof damage, Deputy Brandau quickly jumped in to assist Deputy Stonebraker with the rescue attempt. As the two valiantly tried to save the man’s life, the roof collapsed and the two were forced to vacate the home. Both Deputy Stonebraker and Brandau suffered smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide exposure and were transported to Venice Regional Medical Center. Unfortunately, the resident of the home was not able to be saved despite Deputy Stonebraker and Brandau willingly risking their own lives to pull him from the flames. Both deputies went above and beyond the call of duty to attempt to save a life, and to protect each other from harm.

Deputy Leo Egan is recognized with the Life Saving Award for his efforts in rescuing a suicidal man submerged in a pond. In early September, Deputy Egan responded alongside Sarasota County Fire Department paramedics to a report of a man attempting to harm himself in a retention pond. Upon his arrival, Deputy Egan immediately jumped into the pond and located the man, unconscious and not breathing. As Deputy Egan quickly began CPR, the man started breathing and had a pulse before being transported via BayFlight to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Deputy Egan took swift action to pull the man from the water, demonstrating his dedication to the community by putting service before self.

Deputy Andrew Rowe and Deputy Michael Jones are recognized with the Life Saving Award for their haste in working to revive a woman suffering from a heroin overdose in late September. Deputies responded to a call for an unresponsive woman laying outside of her vehicle. Recognizing the signs of overdose, Deputy Rowe quickly administered his agency-issued naloxone. After reassessing her status, the deputies noticed she was still unresponsive. Deputy Jones quickly deployed a second dose of naloxone. The victim began taking shallow breaths as the Sarasota County Fire Department arrived on scene. Paramedics placed her in the ambulance where they gave her an additional dose of medication before transporting her to Doctor’s Hospital. During transport, the woman began breathing on her own and talking. It was noted by both the paramedics and nurse practitioner, that without Deputy Rowe’s and Deputy Jones’ quick actions, the woman would not have fully recovered. Deputy Rowe and Deputy Jones exhibited extraordinary merit and dedication to duty in their successful attempt to save the life of a woman in need.