A handful of Ceres Police Department employees were honored last week by Police Chief Rick Collins for exceptional service, including some officers who heroically tried to save lives – some successfully.
The awards were presented at a special ceremony held at the Ceres Community Center Thursday evening.
Ceres Police Officer Aaron Pinon was selected by Chief Collins as “Police Officer of the Year.” Pinon was nominated by three patrol sergeants for standing out as a leader among his peers and has proven to be reliable and knowledgeable in his duties.
Pinon currently is not only a patrol officer but a Field Training Officer, auxiliary motor officer, and helps out as a dispatcher. His prior experience in investigations from his previous police agency, coupled with his current assignments, make him a valuable resource on patrol.
Pinon is actively involved with participating in DUI saturation and authoring the necessary documentation associated with traffic and DUI related grants. He often assists his fellow officers with license plate reader systems and is routinely helps rookie officers with various traffic related questions.
“Everyday Officer Pinon arrives for his shift ready to work,” said Chief Collins. “Without question, Officer Pinon is the most proactive officer on A Squad and takes pride in traffic enforcement, in addition to his primary responsibilities as a patrol officer.
“Officer Pinon is always quick to identify the needs of the department and is willing to help in any way possible. He is dependable and routinely works overtime to cover open shifts, not only at the patrol level, but in dispatch as well. Officer Pinon never hesitates to help his fellow officers and often volunteers his expertise to assist with complex investigations. He is to be applauded and praised for his constant professionalism and superior work ethic.”
The chief added that Officer Pinon is well liked among his peers and noted “his positive attitude, along with his fun-spirited banter and constant drive to be successful, continues to raise the level of performance of those around him. He embodies the core values of the Ceres Police Department and exemplifies the character traits of a Ceres Police officer.”
Professional Staff of the Year
Ceres Police dispatcher Ashley Shaw was named “Professional Staff of the Year” for the way she handled a number of intense calls this year and working an “unbelievable amount of overtime that was worked to keep our Dispatch Center running.”
In April, several calls were made about an active breaking-in, including from an employee watching the crime unfold via surveillance cameras, the alarm company and the business owner. When officers arrived, there were 11 cars on scene and the incident evolved into a pursuit with the suspects causing several accidents and ramming the car of an uninvolved couple.
While monitoring the pursuit on the radio, Shaw was answering 9-1-1 calls from the victims of the traffic collisions and requesting ambulances at the locations. The suspects were pursued all the way to Livermore, which required Shaw to monitor a second radio channel. As this was happening, she continued calling other agencies for assistance, answered 911 and non-emergency lines and called day shift officers in early. The ordeal lasted two hours during which Shaw was working solo. Her supervisor said she did the work of three dispatchers during the incident.
On July 2 Shaw she was working dispatch with Officer Freddie Ortiz when a group of burglars broke into a warehouse to steal marijuana plants. Several of the suspects took off which resulted in two separate vehicle pursuits and a separate leg bail.
In addition to these three major incidents, Shaw worked approximately 632 hours of overtime during 2022 and trained two people throughout the year.
“Volunteer of the Year”
Steven Whitney was named “Volunteer of the Year” for his dependability and “can-do” attitude as a member of Volunteers in Public Safety (VIPS).
Over the past three years, Whitney has assisted in patrolling for parking enforcement, vehicle abatement matters and working closely with Code Enforcement to identify trash dumps and leaf and limb violations in the streets.
Whitney also routinely helped out at community events, including the “Coffee with a Cop” gatherings, Special Olympics fundraisers, DUI checkpoints, swearing-in ceremonies, the Hot Air Balloon event, National Night Out and the Ceres Street Faire.
The chief singled him out for “always willing to impart his wisdom and knowledge as he mentors and trains new VIPS. Steve takes pride in his duties and takes ownership of the program. Steve has upgraded the VIPS office by purchasing shelf organizers and a clothes rack to hang uniforms. He takes the initiative to ensure the VIPS vehicle is clean and stocked with needed supplies for events. He is without question, the most active volunteer and an invaluable resource to our VIPS program.
“Steve’s goal is to make an impact on the community with his position within this department and we believe he is achieving his goal.”
Chief’s Awards presented
Collins presented the “Chief’s Award” to a number of officers for their role in saving lives during two separate incidences, one in 2019 and the other in 2022.
Sgt. Vince Hooper and Officers Jessica Graham and Nicolas Welsh were honored for bravery when an intoxicated driver rammed his car into a home in the 1200 block of Sam Avenue early on June 9, 2109, killing a mother and her three young daughters.
The Ceres personnel arrived with sheriff’s deputies and immediately jumped into action. Graham immediately ran to the front of the house to check for victims while Hooper entered the house through the side where the vehicle punched through a wall and found two young girls, ages 3 and 5, lying on a mattress with serious injuries. In the same room, a 10-year-old girl and her mother were located buried beneath debris. Officers kept the 10-year-old calm and assured her they were there to rescue her.
To get medical aid to the four victims inside the house, where water pipes were broken and electrical lines were exposed, the officers needed to get them out.
Meanwhile, Officer Welsh arrived on scene and detained the responsible intoxicated driver, Felix Ferdin.
After all the officers assisted in extricating the four victims from the house, Officer Graham immediately began CPR chest compressions on the 3-year-old. CPR was also started on their 38-year-old mother, Mari Jacinto-Hernandez.
“All our officers remained engaged in the incident trying to do all that was necessary to save the lives of the four victims,” said Chief Collins. “Eventually they were relieved by multiple EMS units that arrived at the scene.”
Once the medical personnel took over, the officers immediately canvassed the area for any witnesses to the crash until the California Highway Patrol arrived and took over the investigation.
“This award is to commend you for your actions of bravery during this devastating incident,” the chief told the officers. “You exhibited courage and remained calm during the tragic event. Unfortunately, none the four victims survived this senseless tragedy but your actions did not go unnoticed.
“You did everything possible in an attempt to save the lives of four of our citizens. You acted swiftly and courageously. You entered an unsafe structure to rescue victims. And once medical personnel took over, you went into investigative mode to search for justice in the criminal case against the drunk driver.”
Following a seven-day trial, a jury found Ferdin guilty of four counts of second-degree murder as well as four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Awards in officer stabbing incident
The chief presented honors for those involved in the robbery of the convenience store in which Officer Christian Izquierdo was sliced in the back of the head.
Not only did Izquierdo receive an award but so did Officer Krandall Vandagriff, Community Service Officer David McCann and dispatchers Ashley Shaw and Michaela Richter.
In January there was a robbery of the Quik Stop at Service and Morgan roads and first on scene were Officer Vandagriff and CSO McCann. Vandagriff located Joseph John, who matched the description, but the suspect was confrontational and walked away.
McCann saw the agitated state of John and removed his Taser. He began to give commands awaiting backup, one being Officer Izquierdo. Immediately John ran off with Izquierdo, Vandagriff and McCann chasing on foot until they gained on the suspect who became combative and swung his arms at the officers as they tackled him.
John produced a sharp object and struck the back of Officer Izquierdo’s head with the object, lacerating the scalp.
Officer Izquierdo called out that the suspect had a weapon and Vandagriff was able to hold John on the ground to control his hands. The suspect continued to resist and McCann deployed his Taser to stun John so Vandagriff could handcuff him.
Izquierdo retrieved canine Banner from his vehicle should he need to be deployed.
“Each of them handled the incident with distinct professionalism,” said Chief Collins.
Handling the intense radio traffic were dispatchers Shaw and Richter. The chief said Shaw handled the tense call professionally under pressure in the presence of a trainee at the time, Michaela Richter who was at her side observing how she handled it and helping as much as possible.
“Dispatcher Shaw handled the situation with poise and both Dispatchers were the epitome of calmness and professionalism.
“These Officers and Dispatchers are to be commended for their efforts during this incident and investigation. Their efforts surpassed the expectations and core values of the Ceres Police Department and resulted in the capture of a robbery suspect and the removal of a violent individual from off the streets of Ceres.”
Life-Saving Award
Detective Brian Petersen was honored for his life saving actions on April 27, 2023 when he interrupted a man trying to hang himself Independence Park.
Peterson was in the park conducting some follow-up on a prior case when he saw the male had a type of a strap over his neck. Detective Petersen spoke to the despondent man, but was told him he wanted to kill himself.
The male leaned forward to asphyxiate himself as Detective Petersen tried to stop him. The two were in a struggle to get the strap from around his neck and Detective Petersen was able to remove it.
Peterson tried to speak to the male, but he walked away. He sent out a description of the man to other officers but found the man himself behind Jenny’s restaurant as patrol units arrived. The male was sitting on the ground and Detective Petersen knelt next to him and built a rapport.
He took the time to get to find out what was troubling him and earned his trust. The man calmed him down and was able to have him empty his pockets and comply with the officers. He was taken by ambulance for medical clearly and place in a psychiatric hold.
“Detective Petersen,” the chief told him at the ceremony, “you are commended for your efforts during this investigation. You went above and beyond your duties to save the life of another human being. You surpassed the expectations and core values of the Ceres Police Department.”
