BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON -- Sometimes heroes wear badges and are armed with guns. Other times, they're just regular folks armed with cellular phones -- and a sense of outrage.
In either case, the heroes deserve recognition, says Col. Richard K. Jones, Butler County Sheriff's chief deputy.
"We in law enforcement are very fortunate and very thankful when citizens stick together . . . and go a step beyond what's expected -- and at times, put their own lives in jeopardy," Col. Jones said. "You hear a lot of bad things about how crime is and how nobody wants to help or participate, but it's not so."
The county sheriff's office held its first-ever awards ceremony last month honoring citizens and employees for heroism and crime-fighting achievements.
Col. Jones said Harold Don Gabbard, who has been Butler sheriff since 1993, plans to conduct the awards presentations annually, in accordance with guidelines the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association approved last year.
William D. Rahn of Okeana was among the citizens recognized in the June 18 ceremony at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 38. Aug. 14, 1996, Mr. Rahn was a customer in the parking lot of Powers Carry-Out in Morgan Township. A robber, wearing a ski mask, ran out of the store with a paper bag full of cash and pointed a sawed-off shotgun at Mr. Rahn. The robber then climbed into a waiting pickup truck with an accomplice and drove away.
Mr. Rahn followed the truck and used his mobile telephone to tell a sheriff's dispatcher where it was going. Deputies caught the robber and his accomplice; both were convicted.
Mr. Rahn received a commendation.
Among the other citizens who received awards were Mike Foote and James Williams of Liberty Township.
Dec. 21, they saw a woman jogger struggling with a man who was trying to pull her into his car.
Mr. Williams, with baseball bat in hand and his pet Labrador Retriever by his side, went to help the woman. He and Mr. Foote scared away her would-be abductor, then called the sheriff's office. Mr. Foote, Mr. Williams, Lt. Ed Martin, Deputies Rick Burcheit and James Mueller were presented with Special Effort Awards.
One of the department's highest honors went to Special Deputy Dale Stewart, who grabbed a fire hose and doused flames in a 1995 car fire, then helped pull one of the injured people from the wreckage. He received the life-saving award.
