PORTLAND — The Maine Sheriffs’ Associations’ (MSA’s) annual conference and awards banquet was held March 24, at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. At this banquet two members of the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and two citizens from northern Maine received awards.
Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Kris Miller, of Ludlow, was named the MSA 2015 Deputy Sheriff of the Year for the state, while Deputy Stewart Kennedy of Oakfield received the Presidential Award for Valor.
Two residents were also honored as Justin and Vanessa Hodgkin, of Fort Kent, both received the MSA Presidential Award for Valor.
Sgt. Kris Miller
Sgt. Miller, a 26-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, is currently the supervisor of the communications division as well as being in charge of training and recruitment. Miller has been a corrections officer, inmate transport officer, patrol deputy and training sergeant during her career. Her duties now are diverse and she is always willing to lend a hand where she is needed.
“What sets Sgt. Miller apart is that she has had the very same can do attitude since the day she started and her passion for her profession has not diminished one bit over time,” said Sheriff Darrell Crandall said. “If Kris is covering for a dispatcher who is on break, transporting an inmate to the hospital, getting called out to cover a traffic accident, answering calls while a patrol deputy is in court, chasing down officers to complete their training or helping revise policies, she has a smile on her face and an attitude of commitment to the task at hand. Kris has been a dedicated employee of the Sheriff’s Office for 26 years, and can still regularly be heard saying, ‘I love my job. Kris has a deep belief and understanding that she is first and foremost a Deputy Sheriff. As leaders we are never blessed with too many people like Sgt. Kris Miller.”
Deputy Stewart Kennedy
Deputy Kennedy received his award demonstrating selfless courage in the face of danger while performing his duties as a deputy sheriff.
In February of 2015, Deputy Kennedy and two state troopers responded to a call from a man expressing concern for the safety of his elderly mother. The caller reported that he was concerned because his brother, who had a history of violence toward their mother, was acting strangely and had access to firearms. The previous day, the brother had been told to leave a local restaurant after throwing water at their mother.
When the officers arrived at the home the mother and son shared, the suspect hollered profanities at Deputy Kennedy and fled toward the second floor of the home, firing a handgun as he ascended the stairs.
Despite being in great personal danger, Deputy Kennedy continued to pursue the suspect to make sure that others in the home were not harmed. Deputy Kennedy caught up with the man and tried to take the handgun away from him. The man resisted and would not surrender the weapon, and ultimately Deputy Kennedy had to use deadly force to stop the threat.
Sheriff Crandall was one of the first officers to arrive after the incident. Upon his arrival, State Police Sergeant Chad Fuller pointed to Deputy Kennedy and said, “He is a hero.” Sheriff Crandall said, “Although the ending was tragic for all involved, Deputy Kennedy is, in fact, a hero.”
Justin and Vanessa Hodgkin, of Fort Kent, received the MSA Presidential Award for Valor — Citizen Award for their selfless efforts to save a woman who was being assaulted in a moving vehicle in 2015.
As this young couple was driving down the road together, Vanessa noticed a woman being held by her hair, by the man driving the car. The door to the vehicle was open, the woman was partially outside the vehicle and the vehicle was still moving.
Justin turned their vehicle around and Vanessa confronted the driver and tried unsuccessfully to get the victim out of the vehicle. The man sped away with the woman still in the car. The Hodgkins, who had no cell phone, drove to the nearby home of a relative, called the Sheriff’s Office and provided detailed information including the plate number, vehicle description and descriptions of the suspect and victim, as well as the direction the vehicle was traveling.
Deputies found the vehicle a short time later and arrested the driver. Sheriff Crandall said, “So many people are unwilling to get involved, even to the point of calling the police and reporting a crime. The Hodgkins were willing to do so much more. They put themselves in harm’s way to try to protect another human being in peril. For that, they are heroes.”
Just under 200 people attended the banquet, including other award recipients, their families and friends, Maine’s Sheriffs and their command staff, some of Maine’s police chiefs and supporters of Maine law enforcement. The banquet culminates the annual two-day event where Sheriffs and their staff receive training from nationally recognized presenters on timely issues of importance.
