American Legion honors public safety officials

“It shows our law enforcement that they are indeed supported,” Obispo said. “It’s a time for them to all get together and be recognized for the work they do within the community.”

 

He said Post 58 primarily raises money for these kind of events through raffles and breakfasts held on the first Sunday of each month. The post also awards hundreds of dollars in scholarships to high school students each year and donates to a number of local charities.

 

Veteran Robert Graves organized the event this year with the help of Ed Sudduth, Obispo said. All three handed out the “employee of the year” plaques to representatives of the various agencies.

 

Those awarded included officers and employees with the Sheriff’s Office, Sonora Police Department, Superior Court, Sierra Conservation Center, California Highway Patrol, District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Forest Service, Probation and Sonora Fire Department.

 

Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit also selected Capt. Susan Arrouzet, who is recovering from major injuries sustained last November while fighting a structure fire in Copperopolis, to be honored at the event. She was unable to attend.

Those honored at the event were:

 

 • California Highway Patrol Officer Nick Norton, nominated by former Sonora area CHP Commander Sam Samra. Samra said Norton has been active in both commercial enforcement and the field training program, helping bring two new cadets to the Jamestown office. Samra also credited Norton with being a driving force in helping the office win first place in a statewide competition among other CHP offices last year. The Jamestown office was awarded last October the “overall traffic safety” award in the California Law Enforcement Challenge for its approach to public safety.

 

• Sierra Conservation Center Correctional Officer Pablo Martinez. He has worked with the state Department of Corrections since leaving the Navy in 2008. He re-enlisted in the Navy Reserve after his military career ended. In 2009, Martinez completed training to become a part of the prison’s Crisis Response Team, which handles emergency situations in the prison. He is also a certified baton and first-aid instructor for other correctional officers. “So, I kind of look at him with the baton hitting the guy and then he’s able to give him first-aid after he knocks him out,” joked Sierra Conservation Center Warden Frank Chavez, who presented Martinez with the award.

 

• Mandy Tudor, an adult probation officer with the Tuolumne County Probation Department since 2008, nominated by her colleagues in the department. Chief Probation Officer Adele Arnold described Tudor as “always dependable” and said she helped the department acquire a Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction grant through the state. She’s currently assigned to work in drug court and Proposition 36 programs. “She’s well-respected, well-loved and is very, very good with the clientele that she serves,” Arnold said. “She can be firm, she can be supportive and she’s constantly helping them to work on their addiction problems.”

 

• Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Sgt. Craig Davis. Sheriff Jim Mele said Davis always puts those that work for him first and many of the cases prosecuted by the District Attorney’s Office stem from investigations and arrests by the narcotics unit, which Davis commands. “That’s an attribution to him and the hard work that they do,” Mele said. “So, when we sat down as a staff to talk about it, there was no question who this year’s recipient was.” Davis thanked his wife for her support and also tearfully acknowledged those that work under him in the narcotics unit. “These guys have taught me that rank’s not a right, it’s a privilege,” he said.

 

• Laurie May, who coordinates the three drug court programs among other duties at the Tuolumne County Superior Court. Judge James Boscoe, who presented the award, said some of May’s numerous responsibilities include contacting all of the people who go into the drug court programs, instructing them what’s expected of them, acting as liaison between the court, probation and clinicians who treat people in programs, and managing grants. “What she does for our drug court programs is give an opportunity to people who are suffering from addiction to become responsible citizens and parents,” he said.

 

• Jeffrey Snyder, an investigator for the District Attorney’s Office, who was recognized for his accomplishments by the newly-appointed District Attorney Michael Knowles. Snyder works largely on elder-abuse cases and last year investigated the case of Autumn Amick, who was convicted of embezzling about $130,000 from an elderly woman while working as her banker.

 

• Sgt. Glenn Roberts, who retired in July and had yet to receive an American Legion award in his 31 years of service at the department. “Everybody thought the city of Sonora revolved around Glenn. He’s been here forever,” Sonora Police Chief Mark Stinson said. Roberts worked everything from the K-9 unit to patrol in his three decades as an officer. Roberts is also a military veteran having served four years in the U.S. Army, Stinson added.

 

• Sonora Fire Capt. Grant Miller. Sonora Fire Chief Mike Barrows said Miller has worked his way up in the department since beginning as an intern. As an intern, he worked 2,800 hours a year for $4,800 while going to college. He was hired as an engineer and was then promoted to fire captain when the funds became available. Miller also serves on the board of the Tuolumne City Fire District. “If he doesn’t have enough to do at work he’s reaching out and trying to find other things to do,” Barrows said.

 

• Aaron Dobson, law enforcement officer in the Groveland Ranger District of the Stanislaus National Forest. Donson graduated from Arizona State University and started working in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. In addition to Dobson’s duties around Groveland, he serves on a team of officers that do marijuana eradication operations on public lands throughout the state, said Jay Power, Stanislaus National Forest patrol captain. “I have the best job in the world, I get to drive around the woods in a four-wheel drive vehicle all day and I see my boss once every two months,” Dobson joked. “And we’re hiring.”

 

In closing, the American Legion Post 58 gave newly-appointed Superior Court Judge Donald Segerstrom a special award recognizing his 10 years of service as the county’s district attorney.

 

“All the law enforcement agencies in this county actually talk to one another, we actually work together and we work for the benefit of the community. It’s not about egos,” Segerstrom said.