Officers get Silver Star for saving an infant
CHILLICOTHE – Chillicothe Police Officers Terry Brown and Jonathan Dunham were awarded a Silver Star on Friday for heroism in performing lifesaving measures on an infant in late December.
The Silver Star is a commendation awarded to any active-duty police officer or reserve officer who demonstrated extraordinary heroism or acted in an exemplary manner under substantial risk of personal harm and beyond the call of duty.
Around 11:33 a.m. Dec. 31, Dunham and Brown were dispatched to help a 3week-old infant who was not breathing in a vehicle pulled over in front of Olive Garden on North Bridge Street.
“They said he either just aspirated or forgot to breathe,” said father Brandon Chaney. “They don’t tell you that’s a thing, but that’s a thing, apparently.”
The pair arrived on scene and Dunham quickly picked up the infant and got into the rear seat of Brown’s patrol vehicle.
Brown transported the baby in emergency mode to the hospital, while Officer Dunham performed CPR, mouth-tomouth resuscitations, and chest compressions. The infant arrived to the awaiting emergency room’s staff and survived.
Three or four nurses were waiting at the doors of the hospital, Brown said.
Mother Samy Rowe said that they followed the police cruiser to the hospital. About 20 minutes after, the child was stabilized, and the parents were allowed to go back to see him while waiting for a life flight to another hospital.
“Their actions gave this infant the best chance for survival and exemplified what it means to be a police officer,” said Captain Michael A.D. Short of the Chillicothe Police Department.
For the two officers, the quick decision to take the child to the hospital instead of waiting for EMS was a nobrainer.
“When we saw the condition of the child, it was just drive and go and get it to a higher level of care as quickly as possible,” Dunham said.
“The biggest thing was we know he needed immediate care as fast as possible, and the quickest way to do that was to take him immediately to the hospital just as fast as we could,” Brown said. “Jon took control of the child and I drove him out there, he was doing CPR the whole way in the back.”
Both officers said that it never entered their mind that they would get an award. “I think the baby is the one that deserves the award,” Brown said. “I’m tickled to death that the department gets recognition, but it’s the baby that really deserves it.”
“We couldn’t ask for better police officers and we’re certainly grateful and the family is certainly grateful – I wouldn’t expect anything less of my officers or my dispatchers, or the other safety services of the city of Chillicothe, and I commend them,” CPD Chief Ron Meyers said.
The baby also was presented with a teddy bear by the police department.