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State Police honor Troopers, civilians for outstanding service

Several local State Police Troopers have been honored for their service.  An awards ceremony was held yesterday at the State Police Training Academy to recognize members for exceptional service in the line of duty. 

The Medal for Lifesaving was presented to Troopers David Tharas and Jaime Olsowy.  On April 20th, New Fairfield Police received a report of a missing man.  A cell phone ping positioned him in a heavily-wooded area on a steep embankment and cliff face adjacent to Candlewood Lake.  The Troopers found the man with extensive blood loss and too weak to move.  He was in the woods overnight with self-inflicted cuts. 

They treated his wounds and got him onto a boat for transport to the hospital.  While attempting to land the boat, Trooper Olsowy seriously injured his knee, yet continued to assist and load the victim without regard for his own injury.

The Commissioner's Recognition Award was presented to a nurse who helped at an accident scene.  The Medal for Lifesaving was presented to Trooper James King, who responded to the report of a pedestrian hit by a car on I-84 in Danbury in February.  King found nurse Julie Ann Falter helping the victim in the area of exit 8, and administered a tourniquet on the victim. 

State Police officials say their rapid intervention and pre-hospital care gave the victim a fighting chance.  She succumbed to her injuries the following day, however.  Their efforts did give family members time to respond to the hospital and allowed for a successful organ donation that gave the gift of life to others.

Trooper Giancarlo Ardolino was presented with the Medal for Lifesaving yesterday.  He was recognized for his response to an accidental shooting at a Sherman home in June.  Ardolino applied a tourniquet to the victim's leg to control the life-threatening bleed. Officials say his quick thinking and calm response resulted in the victim surviving the incident.

Two civilians and a Trooper are being recognized for their response to a motorcycle accident on I-84 in Danbury.  Trooper Anlly Diaz received the Medal for Lifesaving yesterday.  Edward Bell and Patrick Doherty were presented with with Commissioner's Recognition Award.  A motorcyclist who struck a guardrail by exit 8 in June sustained a severe leg injury with heavy bleeding.  The two Good Samaritans arrived just before the Trooper, who applied a tourniquet to stop the life-threatening blood loss.  The victim survived the incident.

An Oxford Police Officer and the Resident Trooper were presented with a Medal for Lifesaving yesterday.  Officer Darren Pavlik and Trooper Ryan Pfeiffrer were recognized for their response to a reported cardiac arrest at a town home.  They found the victim lying on the kitchen floor unconscious, unresponsive and without a pulse.  The pair performed CPR for 8 minutes until EMS arrived and used a defibrillator before transporting the man to the hospital.  The man suffered a severe heart attack and underwent emergency surgery.

A Unit Citation Award was presented to Easton and Weston Police Departments, Western and Eastern District Major Crime Squads and the FBI.  They were recognized for an investigation into a the case of a missing Easton couple.  Jeffery and Jeanette Navin's bodies were located three months later at an abandoned Weston property.  Their son and girlfriend were arrested in connection with the murders.  The investigation included a 26-day search through 35,000 tons of ash at a state landfill by Western & Eastern District Detectives.  Jennifer Valiante accepted a deal, pleading guilty to hindering prosecution.  Kyle Navin accepted a deal, pleading guilty to two counts of murder, last April.  State Police say the successful resolution of the case was a combination of investigative evidence generated by detectives and forensic evidence from the crime scene, as well as the cooperation of the multiple agencies involved.

Sherman Resident State Trooper Wayne Tate was presented with the Medal for Lifesaving for his actions in August.  He responded to a report of a woman struggling in the Housatonic River, near Long River Road, a wooded and remote area. The woman and her husband couldn't swim, she went under water and her husband nearly downed trying to rescue her.  Trooper Tate  worked to pull both parties out of the water to safety.  He performed CPR on the unresponsive woman for more than 10 minutes while waiting for EMS, who was having a difficult time locating the scene.  The male victim was hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness.  The woman later died, but State Police say the man would not have survived without the rescue efforts of Trooper Tate.

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