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Brave under fire and under stress
By MATTHEW WAITE, Times Staff Writer
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Cpl. Gordon Larkin went down with a bullet in his face seconds after he went in the front door of a mobile home. Over him, rounds from Pasco sheriff's Cpl. Sean Kennedy and Detective Josh Cooley whizzed by, fired at Daron Black, the man with the gun. Black was hit, and later died. As the SWAT team arrested Todd Black, Cpl. Pete Roehrig -- the team's medic -- ran to Larkin's aid. For their actions on Sept. 12 in Trilby, Kennedy, Cooley and Roehrig were given the Medal of Valor on Tuesday morning. Larkin survived his bullet wound and was awarded the Purple Heart. The Sheriff's Office honored the men for "exceptional courage in the performance of their duties in an extremely dangerous situation." Sheriff Bob White also awarded all 17 members of the SWAT team with a Special Recognition Award. The unit responds to high-risk calls, such as warrants involving armed suspects or suspects who have barricaded themselves inside a building. Others honored Tuesday morning included: Deputies Jason Sarne and Larry Cleaver, with Sgt. Steve Eastmond, were recognized for talking a suicidal man out of hanging himself from a tree in Crystal Springs in November. Cpls. Chris Laframboise and Greg Smith, who, while off duty at a conference in Altamonte Springs, helped catch a man who tried to burglarize a vending machine and assaulted a security guard. Pat Mentink, a special volunteer with the Victim's Advocate Unit, honored for her contributions to domestic violence awareness and training. Deputies Robert Eddings, Jesse Coker, William Quinn, Collette DeSimone, Janet Pascalli, James Browning; Sgts. Tim Ceresoli and Brian Prescott; and nurse Nora Bard were honored with Lifesaving awards for their actions helping suicidal people. Deputy Raymond Meddaugh received the Lifesaving Award for helping a man who suffered a heart attack during a domestic dispute call Meddaugh was investigating. Deputies Karl Crawford and Cecil Labbe received a Lifesaving Award for performing CPR and reviving a man who collapsed at the west Pasco courthouse.
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