Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Gaithersburg Policemen for Distinguished Service

From the City of Gaithersburg:

At its Public Safety Awards program at the Montgomery County Agricultural Center on Friday, July 8, the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce recognized several members of the Gaithersburg Police Department for distinguished service. This annual awards program provides the business community with an opportunity to publicly thank those who help maintain the quality of life in the Gaithersburg and Germantown area.

Gaithersburg police officers Noah Grubic, Larbi Dakkouni, Mark McGinnis and Gregg Johannesen, Cpl. Shane Eastman, sergeants Raul Delgado and Shawn Eastman as well as Montgomery County police officers Manuel Gomez, Robert Zaal, Douglas Styles, Vincent Sylvester, Tomas Machon, Richard Hillman, Robert Atack, Drew Abbamonte, Dana Bunge, Corporal Neil Mohardt and Sergeant Eric Wood were all awarded the Distinguished Service Citation for their cooperative and excellent teamwork efforts resulting in the apprehension of three violent offenders.

In November, law enforcement agencies in Montgomery County were notified by the Southern Regional Police Department in Pennsylvania (SRPD) that they had warrants for three subjects who had been involved in an aggravated assault on a police officer in that jurisdiction. During this incident a SRPD officer was investigating a suspicious situation. The officer made contact with the three subjects, all of whom were later determined to reside in Montgomery County.

On Nov. 7, members of the Gaithersburg Police Department (GPD) located a subject who matched the description of one of the wanted. Additional information obtained from the SRPD revealed that the wanted subjects may have been in possession of a 9mm handgun. Based on this information, Cpl. Shane Eastman authored a search and seizure warrant. The GPD Street Crimes Unit (SCU) responded to assist with the execution of the search warrant. Early in the morning hours on Nov. 8, GPD, the SCU and Montgomery County Police SWAT executed the search and seizure warrant resulting in the arrest of one of the suspects, and they were able to locate clothing and other evidence to assist the SRPD with their aggravated assault investigation. The remaining two fugitives were apprehended after a several day manhunt. All three suspects made incriminating statements, were charged as fugitives from justice and were subsequently extradited to Pennsylvania to await trial, which is still pending.

City of Gaithersburg police officer John Jordan and Montgomery County Police Sixth District officer Andrew Byrd were each presented with the Distinguished Service Citation for their decisive and courageous actions effectively averting a potentially deadly outcome.

Officer John Jordan responded to a suicide in‐progress call, related to an earlier domestic dispute. The complainant advised that her husband threatened to kill himself in a text message and had just retrieved a handgun. As he was leaving with the gun, the complainant got into the car in attempt to stop him. The husband was reportedly actively attempting to remove the handgun from its lockbox while driving. The vehicle and both subjects were located at the intersection of West Deer Park and South Frederick Ave., with officers Andrew Byrd and Jordan arriving almost simultaneously. The vehicle was stopped and the officer’s took immediate action. Officer Byrd reached through the driver side window and immobilized the subject’s hands while Officer Jordan secured the firearm. The scene was quickly secured, and the individual taken into custody without further incident.

The Gaithersburg Police Department is a nationally accredited law enforcement agency that shares responsibility for services with the Montgomery County Police within the City of Gaithersburg. Further information is available through the City of Gaithersburg website.