Indiana Conservation Officers Honored

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

wo Indiana Conservation Officers assigned to District Five were honored on May 29 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.

Senior Officer Dale Clark of Spencer was awarded the coveted James D. Pitzer Officer of the Year Award for 2012.

The award's namesake was a veteran Indiana Conservation Officer who was killed by gunfire in the line of duty on January 2, 1961 while conducting an investigation in Jay County.

The presentation was made to Officer Clark by Colonel Scotty Wilson, Director of the Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division.

Officer Clark was selected by the command staff from nominees submitted from each of the ten districts statewide.

Senior Officer Clark is a native of Ohio and a graduate of Oak Hills High School. After obtaining an associate's degree from Hocking Technical College, Officer Clark was accepted into the Indiana Conservation Officer's Recruit School, appointed as a Probationary Officer in 1999 and assigned to Owen County in District Five.

Officer Clark serves in additional roles as an Emergency Vehicle Operation Instructor, Advanced Interviewer, Field Training Officer and Watercraft Crash Investigator.

During 2012, Officer Clark was involved in several high-profile investigations including one that involved a man creating an elaborately staged hoax.

"When dealing with criminal suspects and other citizens, Officer Clark is pleasant and affable, but displays the firmness necessary to maintain order,"District Five Commander, Lt. Kent Hutchins said. "He is a competent officer, possessed of good judgment and maturity who is steady and reliable. He is a valuable asset to the district and Law Enforcement Division."

Master Officer Jason Sullivan was presented with a Lifesaving Award at the same ceremony for his response to a situation in Vigo County on the evening of February 2, 2013.

A young couple had been hiking at the Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area near West Terre Haute when, as darkness approached, they decided to take a shorter route across a flooded and ice-covered area.

The couple fell through the ice into shallow water but continued until they were in chest-deep water. The pair called 911.

Officer Sullivan responded along with members of the Sugar Creek Volunteer Fire Department. Officer Sullivan and Fire Chief Derrick Scott donned cold water immersion suits and began the arduous process of locating the pair in the wooded environment, breaking ice along their route with their elbows and forearms.

When the victims were reached, they were found them suffering from now advanced hypothermia and were incapable of walking the considerable distance required. The two victims were fitted with personal flotation devices and physically carried and pulled to shore where emergency medical personnel began advanced treatment measures.

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