Dozens of Montgomery County police officers have been honored for lifesaving and heroic acts, amongst them a gaggle that raced to assist a fellow officer as they tried to cease a dashing driver in October.
Dozens of Montgomery County, Maryland, police officers have been honored Thursday for his or her lifesaving and heroic acts; amongst them was a gaggle that raced to assist a fellow officer as they tried to cease a dashing driver in October.
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Montgomery Co. police sergeant who lost legs honors officers who helped save his life
Montgomery County police officers Matthew Duerr, Julian Martinez, Nicole Seymour, Diane Burkes and Andre Smith have been honored for his or her actions after Sgt. Patrick Kepp was hit by the motive force on Interstate 270 final October.
Kepp, who lost each legs on account of the crash and walks with assistance from a cane, stood on stage, giving hugs to every officer as their actions at the scene of the crash have been detailed by Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones.
“I’m so grateful to be standing and be strolling in right here and be capable of, , be up there on stage with them for all that they did for me,” Kepp mentioned.
“They acted with out hesitation and with out fail and clearly saved my life.”
After the ceremony at Montgomery County Police Headquarters in Gaithersburg, Martinez advised reporters whereas he appreciated the honor, his actions that evening have been merely a mirrored image of the coaching he’s gone by as an officer.
“Why all of us signed up is to do the very best we are able to to assist out the residents of Montgomery County and anybody that comes by it,” Martinez mentioned.
Seeing Kepp in uniform and strolling is a part of a better restoration, Martinez mentioned.
“I do know in my coronary heart that he’s going to do no matter he can to get again on the street and I’ve no doubts that he’ll get there,” Martinez mentioned.
And that’s precisely Kepp’s plan. He’s nonetheless totally engaged in his restoration, he mentioned, however finally he’ll be again on patrol.
“Talking to my docs and every part, everybody sees that there’s no purpose that I gained’t be again at work full time, doing precisely what I used to be doing,” Kepp mentioned. “I’ll be again on the street, locking up impaired drivers” and making an attempt, he mentioned, to make the roads secure for everybody.
Elrich needs to get harder reckless driving legal guidelines handed
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich pledged that his administration would be part of state lawmakers and return to Annapolis subsequent yr to push for passage of payments to crack down on reckless drivers.
“We’ll return there once more subsequent yr till we get this proper,” Elrich mentioned through the awards ceremony Thursday.
He defined, “We have been in the legislature making an attempt to get them to go legal guidelines that might stiffen the penalties and additional criminalize drivers, like the motive force who in the end hit Sgt. Kepp.”
The driver accused of deliberately hitting Sgt. Kepp, 19-year-old Raphael Mayorga of Frederick, is dealing with greater than dozen costs, together with tried homicide, assault and eluding a police officer.
Elich was referring to 2 items of laws that did not get out of committee through the General Assembly session that simply ended.
One of the payments, HB-1111, would have expanded the definition of “reckless endangerment” to incorporate reckless use of a motorcar. That would topic drivers responsible of reckless use of a automobile to as much as 5 years in jail and $5,000 in fines.
HB-1160 would have expanded acts that might meet the usual of reckless driving to folks who drive at 90 mph or extra. A driver discovered responsible in that case could possibly be imprisoned for as much as a yr and resist $5,000 in fines.
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