Kane County Sheriff Deputies, Officers Recognized For Heroic Work

GENEVA, IL – Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain recognized members of his office in front of the Kane County Board Tuesday for heroic work they performed this year in service to their citizens. According to a release from the Kane County Sheriff's Office, Hain opened his presentation saying that the one area of complete confidence he had when he took office a little over a year ago was the abilities and dedication of his highly professional staff.

According to the new release, Sheriff Hain called each member forward individually and as they entered the board room, he read a short summary of their act:

• Deputy Chris Salava: Recognized for his work in two separate home break-ins, where he was able to locate suspects and arrest. Deputy Daniel Gregory was also mentioned as he assisted with one of those, and Deputies Bodin, Schultz, and Vidrio were commended for helping Deputy Salava with the other arrest, the sheriff's office reported.
• Deputy Schultz took "exemplary action and showed calmness and restraint" while trying to stop a suspected DUI driver, who sped away from him, before being killed moments later in a crash, according to the sheriff's office.
• Corrections Officer Francisco Ibarra: Honored for preventing an inmate escape by acting quickly when he got information from a confidential informant that a detainee was planning the escape attempt while being taken to a hospital.
• Court Security Officer Jon Irizarry: Commended for intervening when he saw an inmate in the courthouse holding area restraining an attorney against a wall. Officer Irizarry was able to pull the inmate away, allowing the attorney to escape, then was able to subdue the detainee after a struggle, the sheriff's office said.
• Sergeant Phil Schuring and Deputy Terry Hoffman: Commended for taking the initiative to locate two home burglary suspects and arresting them after searching their car and finding several stolen items from homes across Kane County, including several guns.
• Deputy Andy Ortiz: Recognized for arresting a man during a routine traffic stop in Aurora, after the man was found with a loaded handgun and was wearing a bullet proof vest. Sheriff Hain noted that this interdiction of a criminal in travel certainly prevented a violent act from taking place.
• Deputy Luke Weston: Honored for locating three armed suspects after a robbery in Hampshire while on patrol in Carpentersville. Though the men all had weapons, Deputy Weston was able to subdue them without the use of any lethal force.

In addition, Sheriff Hain saluted Deputy Jerry Krawczyk for his heroic actions on the recent cold Thanksgiving morning, after he dove into a retention pond to rescue a driver from her sinking car after she was involved in a crash on the roadway and the vehicle veered off into the water.

“Our sworn staff members walk a thin blue line and risk their lives every day to ensure the safety of our citizens and this is a perfect time of year to reflect and celebrate them,” Sheriff Hain said in closing, according to the news release.