Idaho State Police to Honor Citizens and Trooper for Heroism

IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE - generated by our News Release ListServer
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IDAHO STATE POLICE NEWS RELEASE
Teresa Baker
Public Information Officer
Headquarters
700 S. Stratford Dr., Meridian 83642
(208) 884-7122
Fax (208) 884-7087

For Immediate Release: 5/1/14 at 4:40 p.m.

MERIDIAN - Idaho State Police will honor the four Idaho citizens responsible for the rescue of kidnap victim Hannah Anderson last August, as well as, one of their Troopers for saving the lives of two people when their vehicle caught fire after a high speed crash in February. The awards will be given by Colonel Ralph Powell during a ceremony on Friday afternoon at 2:30 in Building 4 on the Idaho State Police campus in Meridian. The public is invited to attend.

Former Gem County Sheriff Mark John, his wife Christa and their companions Mike and Mary Young will be commended for their roles in leading law enforcement to Hannah Anderson and her captor and murder suspect James DiMaggio. The four were horseback riding in Idaho's Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness near Morehead Lake when they encountered Hannah and DiMaggio in August 2013. Although the Johns and the Youngs were not aware of the kidnapping at the time of the encounter, they all had an uneasy feeling about their interaction with Hannah and DiMaggio. Upon their return home they saw the AMBER Alert and pictures of Hannah and DiMaggio on news broadcasts. It was then that Sheriff John contacted Idaho State Police Corporal Tom Nesbitt to report the sighting. That phone call triggered a response of over one hundred county, state and federal law enforcement officers to converge and conduct an extensive manhunt in the rugged Idaho mountain wilderness. This manhunt resulted in the rescue of Hannah Anderson and reunited her with her family. The murder suspect was shot and killed by federal law enforcement officers.

Colonel Powell will also present Idaho State Police Corporal Scott Tulleners with the Idaho State Police Life Saving Award tomorrow afternoon.

On the evening of February 18, 2014, Cpl. Tulleners was patrolling on State Street, just west of Glenwood in Garden City, when he witnessed a young man driving a Chevrolet Caprice traveling at a high rate lose control of the vehicle and crash into a power pole. The vehicle immediately erupted into flames. Cpl. Tulleners quickly retrieved his fire extinguisher from his patrol car and put the fire out. This act of selflessness and bravery prevented further injury and, mostly likely, the death of the two occupants of the car who were already seriously injured in the crash and who had to be extricated from the car.

The Idaho State Police Life Saving Award is awarded to an ISP employee who saves the life of another person, whether on-duty or off-duty. This award represents the highest ideals of an Idaho State Police Trooper.

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