ST. GEORGE — Several people were honored in St. George Thursday for displays of bravery during high-pressure, potentially life-threatening situations.
St. George Police Chief Marlon Stratton recognized the heroic individuals during a special presentation at City Hall Thursday evening.
“It was very important that we had the public step up to help under these extraordinary circumstances,” Stratton said.
Dylann Ott, an 8-year-old from St. George, was the first to be recognized for her role in saving her baby sister’s life earlier this summer.
When her sister was found not breathing after falling into a pool, Dylann rose to the occasion by calling 911 and remaining calm under pressure.
Her mother, Andee Ott, relied on Dylann to alert emergency services as she performed CPR on her near-drowned daughter.
Stratton presented Dylann with a certificate in recognition of her bravery.
“You were so strong and you did such a great job by calling 911,” Stratton told the girl. “I really know that you were instrumental in saving your little sister Blake’s life.
“You really, truly made a difference.”
Stratton also recognized the 911 dispatcher, Katie LeFevre, for her role in the situation.
“Kaite is really a special dispatcher. She is so good at what she does. She is so amazing,” Stratton said, as he presented her with a plaque.
Stratton then showed the attendant audience a video compiled from police body and dash cameras involving a potentially deadly traffic stop.
The video shows officer Eric Trombley performing an at-first routine traffic stop that escalates after the man he stopped allegedly drives away as Trombley reaches into the vehicle and attempts to turn off the ignition.
“Officer Trombley was in a very, very dangerous situation,” Stratton said. “The suspect drove off, leaving Eric hanging out the window.”
Read more: Police: Man runs over officer’s foot, tries to drive off with another cop sticking out of window
The suspect only made it about 450 feet before a bystander came to the officer’s aid by pulling in front of the fleeing vehicle and blocking it with his own car.
Trombley was at the meeting and presented a plaque of recognition to that bystander, Alejandro Roushon, for stepping in and aiding law enforcement officers.
“I’m greatly, greatly indebted to him,” Trombley said, explaining that the incident made him realize that there are everyday citizens who are capable of heroism.
Members of the St. George City Council and Mayor Jon Pike greeted the gathered individuals, exchanging handshakes and hugs as the audience gave several rounds of applause.
“We’re grateful when scary events like these can end happily, so we appreciate our police department, including our dispatchers and our citizens,” Pike said. “We need to be partners in this. As you can tell in these cases, it took average citizens and 7-year-olds and adults to make these two events happen.”
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nice
This was cool. With literally everyone who volunteers and is paid to work in a potentially dangerous job nowadays being called Hero’s, it’s refreshing to see ordinary citizens being recognized.