Van Alstyne Police Awards

Mary Jane Farmer | February 17, 2024 | Reply

By Mary Jane Farmer for The Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town. Courtesy photos.

Van Alstyne Police Chief Tim Barnes and the City honored many of the department’s police officers at the recent (Tuesday, Feb. 13) Van Alstyne City Council meeting. Mayor Jim Atchison swore in two officers, and there were also awards given to those in the Fire Department, and those will be featured when information arrives. Police Chief Barnes stands at the left side in each photo.

The honorees are:

Lt. Steven Hayslip, for his 5th full year of service with the department.

Telecommunications Officer of the Year — April Culley

Several officers were honored for their life-saving measures that resulted in the saving of two lives in Van Alstyne and a third one out of town. Chief Barnes gave the following accounts of those rescue events.

Officer Dylan Groves receiving a Life-Saver Award.

Officer Dylan Groves — On Sunday, July 2, 2023, Officer Groves was at the lake with his father helping tow a disabled boat. The boat had several people on board including Aaron Sartin and his ten-year-old son, Gabriel Sartin. The boat capsized while being towed.

Gabriel was wearing a life jacket; however, it’s strap became entangled on something underneath the boat. That caused Gabriel to be pulled into the water underneath the capsized boat.

Officer Groves immediately jumped into the water. He was located Gabriel underwater, freed him from the boat, and pulled Gabriel to the water surface. However, the boy was still in danger, as he was no longer breathing once above water. Groves performed CPR, and, Barnes said, it was successful and allowed the boy o breath on his own.

It was Hopkins County Sheriff’s Office who contacted Chief Barnes after the incident. The Hopkins County deputy dispatched to the scene reported that if Officer Groves had not responded, the child would not have been able to free himself from underneath the boat.

Officer Jeremy Watts receiving a Life-Saving award

Sgt. Jeremy Watts — About 4:45 a.m. December 30, a reporting party called for help regarding a suicidal person who had taken pills and, according to the caller, done something that k. Watts was dispatched.

Upon arrival, Sgt. Watts entered her bedroom and saw a 16-year-old female lying on her bed with a cord wrapped twice around her neck, unconscious, not breathing, discolored, and bleeding from cuts on her face and wrist.

The cord was wrapped so tightly around her neck that Sgt. Watts couldn’t untie it with his hands. He had to use his knife to cut the cord away from her neck. After a firm sternum rub, she began regaining some consciousness, gurgled, struggled to breathe for a few seconds, then began to freely breathe on her own.

Officers Parker Johnson and Bob Barnes — On January 28 of this year, Officer Johnson and Officer Barnes II (no kin to the Chief) were dispatched to a welfare concern involving a female sending text messages

Officer Bob Barnes receives a Life-Saving Award

to her husband about committing suicide. They arrived at the house before the husband, but once he arrived on scene, he opened the residence for them to enter it.

Officer Johnson found the woman upstairs, lying on a mattress. He saw a deep cut on her wrist and blood all over the mattress. At the time, the female was also seizing. Officer Barnes II arrived and talked with her while Officer Johnson checked her eyes and immediately applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

EMS arrived on scene. Both Officer Johnson and Officer Barnes II helped keep her calm while EMS evaluated her. After EMS completed their evaluation and had her loaded her into the ambulance, Officer Johnson rode in it with her to the hospital keeping her calm.

Van Alstyne Mayor Jim Atchison said, “We citizens of Van Alstyne are blessed to have these dedicated professionals serving our city. These men and women undergo rigorous training and continuing education, they work long and variable shifts and display acts of bravery on a daily basis. On behalf of of the city council, we congratulate those we recognize this week and all of the people who serve in emergency response.”