Metro Police honor officers’ heroism

Angela Soo

Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | 10:10 a.m.

Twenty-five Metro Police officers and a civilian employee were honored Thursday by Sheriff Jerry Keller during an awards ceremony.

The Purple Heart and Medal of Valor went to Officer Keith Borders, who was shot in the head when responding to a domestic violence call. Despite his injury, Borders was able to shoot back and stop the suspect.

Other Purple Hearts went to Sgt. Mathew McCarthy and Officer Michael McNamee, who were wounded while attempting to detain a shooting suspect. The suspect shot McCarthy once in the right shoulder and McNamee in the face and back.

McCarthy was still able to advise other officers of the situation and update arriving units.

McCarthy and McNamee, along with Sgts. John Bradshaw and James Dixon, and Officers Carmen Donegan, David Martel, Stephen Novier, Mathew Ruiz, Jon Word and Thomas Bachman, were awarded the Medal of Valor for placing themselves in jeopardy to rescue an injured victim during the same incident.

The Purple Heart also went to Sgt. Martha Schofield, who was assaulted while responding to a call of a person hitting people with a baseball bat. The suspect lunged at her when Schofield commanded him to drop the bat. Her injuries required reconstructive surgery.

Officer Timothy Nelson and Sgts. Dennis Burgess and James Dixon were awarded the Meritorious Service Award for entering a building where a shooting suspect was still inside. The officers went inside a grocery store on West Lake Mead Drive to find victims in need of assistance and to locate the suspect.

The Meritorious Service Award also went to Corrections Officer Rocco Lepore for immediately responding to a fire after a citizen informed him of a burning building.

The Life Saving award went to officers Roxanne McDaris, Augustus Symonette, Dean Mills, Gerald "Jerry" Cahoon, Joel Smith, Samuel Solorio, Richard Burrus and Sgt. James Young for their attempts at saving lives.

The Community Service award went to Officer Chad Cook for raising more than $3,800 during the annual California AIDS Ride to assist in AIDS research, development, counseling, prevention and teaching.

Investigative specialist Pam Westcoat, with Metro's forfeiture and seizure unit, was give a Certificate of Appreciation by the FBI for her help in recovering money from a 1996 bank robbery in New Jersey.