The Van Buren County Board of Commissioners has honored four sheriff’s deputies for their actions to save a life last month.
On Monday, Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott and Undersheriff Casey Davis presented awards to Deputy Jason Erickson, Deputy Cody Bingaman, K9 Charlie, and Sergeant Larry Weers for helping to rescue a 79-year-old man from a river on April 17.
The department says Erickson had responded to a report of a suspicious abandoned vehicle in a residential backyard when he became concerned the driver may have suffered a medical emergency and wandered away from the scene. Weers responded and deployed a drone while Bingaman and K9 Charlie began a search of the woods. Charlie and Bingaman then found the missing man in the river and Bingaman pulled him out.
The sheriff’s department says without the quick thinking, teamwork, and dedication displayed by Deputy Erickson, Deputy Bingaman, Charlie, and Sergeant Weers, the outcome could have been tragic.
Erickson and Weers each received the Sheriff’s Award of Excellence, while Bingaman and K9 Charlie were presented with the Life Saving Award.
