October 29, 2020

PROMOTIONS

Administration
Headed by Sheriff Rand Henderson
Kenneth Dunlap, Captain

Patrol East Division
Headed by Captain Melvin Franklin
Joshua Hilado, Sergeant
Broderick O’Connor, Sergeant
Dan Lafferty, Detective
Zachary Winford, Detective

Patrol West Division
Headed by Captain Kenneth Dunlap
Brad Curtis, Sergeant
Stephanie Holman, Detective
Zackary Fredricksen, Deputy

Homeland Security Division
Headed by Captain Damon Hall
Ashlie Johnson, Deputy

Executive Division
Headed by Captain Mac McKelvy
Kelly Abdelbaky, Warrant Supervisor
Debra Forbes, Dispatch Supervisor

AWARDS

Community Action Partner Award
FM 1488 Animal Medical Center  

The staff of the FM 1488 Animal Medical Center have donated their services and time to our canine partners since 2010. Some of the services include, but are not limited to, routine health check-ups, teeth cleaning, both minor and major surgeries, snake bites and preventative health care.  All of these services are provided at no charge to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and never passed down to the tax payer. Thanks to the staff at 1488 Animal Medical Center, our canines are receiving the best care possible!

Professional Award
Detective Felix Cantu Jr.

In March of 2020, Detective Cantu Jr. was assigned a family violence/ continuous sexual assault case. Detective Cantu Jr. scheduled a forensic interview at Children’s Safe Harbor with a witness to the incident. During the forensic interview, it was learned the witness was also being sexually abused for years by the suspect. Detective Cantu Jr. thoroughly investigated the cases, confirmed the details of the outcry and received evidence confirming the accusations. Upon completion of the investigation, Detective Cantu was able to arrest the suspect and bring this family justice.

Professional Award
Deputy Caleb Cole
Deputy Travis Wood 

On September 26, 2020, units were dispatched to a suicide in progress. Units on scene were met with very limited options as a male held a knife against his throat. Deputy Wood and Deputy Cole were able to speak to the male subject for a span of three hours in an attempt to establish rapport. These deputies did an outstanding job keeping the focus of the conversation between them and the subject while the mental health units worked to establish an immediate action plan. The compassion, patience, and professionalism that everyone showed on scene led to the male dropping the knife and voluntarily seeking assistance. 


Professional Award
Detention Officer Edgar Godinez 

A male subject was arrested and brought to the Montgomery County Jail for intoxicated driving. The male showed slurred speech, sided weakness and an inability to answer medical screening questions. Detention Officer Edgar Godinez assisted with translation and showed concern for the inmate. DO Godinez felt there was something wrong with the way the inmate said his words in Spanish. His concern was taken into consideration and the medical personnel closely evaluated the inmate, concluded that the inmate had suffered from a stroke and was transported to the hospital. The inmate has since made a full recovery.

Professional Award
Sergeant Kevin Williams
Detective Jason Prince 

On May 19, 2019, a drunk driver ran a red light and struck another vehicle, killing the person behind the wheel before fleeing on foot.  During a thorough and skillful investigation, Detective Prince and Sergeant Williams learned that, just prior to the crash, the suspect had drank to the point of intoxication and refused a witness’s offer to give him a ride home. Detective Prince and Sergeant Williams worked around the clock to identify the driver, build a case proving intoxication during the crash and, finally, secure an arrest. On October 19, 2020, the suspect was sentenced to 20 years in prison for Intoxication Manslaughter and Failure to Stop and Render Aid resulting in Death. The sentence was a direct result of the great work from these two men and their diligent investigation.


Compassionate Award
Miranda Hahs 
Tamara Young

On September 3, 2020, deputies detained a suspect for shooting and killing his estranged wife. During the investigation it was learned that the victim had a son; a 5 year old boy with autism, who had not learned about his mother as the family could not find the words to tell him. The next day, Tamara Young discussed the family dilemma with her co-worker, Miranda Hahs, who agreed to talk with the family. Miranda sat down with the victim’s son and explained the situation in a way that he would understand. It was an emotional moment and tears were shed but the time invested with the child and the family was immeasurable.

Tamara and Miranda’s work in this case extended as they assisted in coordinating the crime scene clean- up. Once complete the company contacted the Sheriff’s Office to compliment Tamara on her professionalism and recognize her as an asset to this agency and community.

Shortly thereafter, Tamara and Miranda coordinated an event for the families of homicide victims to coincide with the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims on September 25, 2020. The families of homicide victims whose lives were taken this year were the guests for the inaugural event. Every effort was made by Tamara and Miranda to see that the families could take part without the pressures of onlookers or media. The Sheriff’s Office recognizes these two compassionate women who have made an everlasting impression on the families they work with, the community they serve and their coworkers.


Unit Citation Award
Sergeant Federico Cano
Deputy Todd Ellis
Deputy Nathan Kern
Deputy Blake LaPaglia

On the evening of April 24, 2020, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by Manville Police Department regarding three missing female juveniles who were possibly at a hotel in South Montgomery County. When units arrived to the hotel, they discovered the juvenile females with an adult male. During the investigation, it was learned that the adult male had met the juveniles after soliciting them online. Realizing the severity of the situation, the deputies quickly secured the scene and gathered evidence. Due to their actions, the adult male was arrested for online solicitation of a child and possession of narcotics.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office commends Deputy Nathan Kern, Deputy Blake LaPaglia, Deputy Todd Ellis and Sergeant Federico Cano for their quick actions resulting in the recovery of three human trafficking victims and the ongoing prosecution of the adult male.


Life Saving Award
Deputy Anthony Ashley
Deputy Clayton Lewis

On the night of June 10, 2020, Deputies Anthony Ashley and Clayton Lewis heard a nearby freight train lock its brakes and come to a sudden stop. The deputies knew that something was wrong and made their way to the front of the train where they met with the conductor. It became clear that the train had struck a pedestrian lying beside the track. Deputies began a search for the victim in the brushy wood line and was able to locate the victim who had sustained serious injuries and was bleeding profusely. The two deputies placed both of their county issued tourniquets upon the victim’s legs to effectively stop the bleeding. Medical personnel made the scene and transported the subject in critical condition. At the hospital, the father of the victim reported that his son was stable but had sustained significant injuries.   The father of the victim expresses his gratitude to everyone involved in taking care of his son and saving his life. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office commends Deputy Anthony Ashley and Deputy Clayton Lewis for their actions on what looked to be a night of uncertain fate.


Life Saving Award
Deputy Alexis Montes

On June 14, 2020, Deputy Montes assisted Conroe Police Department with a major crash involving injury. Deputy Montes arrived first on scene and discovered that a vehicle had left the roadway, struck a guardrail and had rolled multiple times down an embankment into a parking lot. The driver of the vehicle was partially ejected from the vehicle. Deputy Montes made contact with the driver and discovered that he was severely injured, unconscious and had no pulse. Deputy Montes began life saving measures including placing a tourniquet on an open leg wound and beginning CPR until EMS arrived. A pulse was restored and EMS transported the driver to the hospital. It was later learned, to medical staff’s disbelief, the driver regained consciousness and is expected to make a full recovery. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the selfless actions of Deputy Montes during this incident and the measures taken to save the life of a citizen.


Combat Cross
Specialist Eric Ward
Specialist Daniel Peña 
Specialist Luis Macias
Specialist Edward Fisher

On July 23, 2020 the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office accompanied the Tomball Police Department to an address in Harris County where the US Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offender and Fugitive Task Force (Montgomery County Team) executed an arrest warrant.  The suspect was wanted by Tomball PD for an aggravated assault that had occurred the prior day and was wanted by MCSO for a homicide that occurred on the same date. 

The US Marshals GCVOFTF split into 4 teams for the initial movement to secure the residence.  As the teams were deploying to their assigned positions, several shots were fired from the house in the direction of all teams. In a few short minutes the suspect fired approximately 150 rounds at the US Marshals GCVOFTF teams. MCSO vehicles sustained multiple rounds and the shooter began to skip rounds impacting the cement around the trucks trying to hit team members that had taken cover behind the vehicles. Team members made a call over the radio for a distraction as they were pinned down behind their vehicles in the open and needed to move to a better vantage point. Specialist Ward’s team didn’t hesitate in quickly planning, coordinating, and executing a distraction, knowing full well that the minute they did, the suspect would fire rounds in their direction. 

Specialists Eric Ward, Daniel Peña, Luis Macias, Edward Fisher went above and beyond the call of duty when they purposefully put themselves in harm’s way. By doing so, they allowed the other team to move to a more tactical location with hard cover. The actions of these men that day prevented their teammates from getting hurt. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office commends the dedication of these four individuals who put their teammates safety above their own. Specialists Eric Ward, Daniel Peña, Luis Macias and Edward Fisher brought great credit to themselves and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.