Governor Walker presents awards to Wisconsin State Patrol officers for heroism and commendable service

During an annual awards ceremony held at the State Capitol Wednesday, Governor Scott Walker recognized Wisconsin State Patrol officers for exemplary public service.

“Every day, across our state and nation, law enforcement officers and other emergency responders risk their lives to serve and protect the public,” Governor Walker said. “This annual awards ceremony is an opportunity to recognize Wisconsin State Patrol officers that have demonstrated extraordinary courage and compassion in the course of their duties.”

The following individuals were honored:

• Trooper James Kitowski of Wisconsin Rapids and Trooper Mitch Butterbrodt of Beaver Dam (Lifesaving Award) – On February 4, 2017, Troopers Kitowski and Butterbrodt assisted with stopping a driver following a high-speed pursuit in Portage County. When the driver attempted suicide by cutting his throat, Trooper Kitowski applied pressure to minimize the bleeding while Trooper Butterbrodt provided chest compressions. Once stabilized, the driver was transported to an area hospital, underwent surgery and survived the incident.
• Trooper Keegan Williams (Lifesaving Award) – On December 22, 2016, Trooper Williams responded to a 911 call regarding an unresponsive female along I-94 in Jefferson County. He observed a female lying on the ground as her husband performed CPR. After instructing the husband to return to his vehicle to comfort his children, Trooper Williams performed CPR for nearly seven minutes until a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy and EMS personnel used an automatic defibrillator device to deliver an electrical shock to the victim. The female was transported to a hospital and made a full recovery.
• Trooper Carl Rowan of Black River Falls (Lifesaving Award) – On July 4, 2017, Trooper Rowan responded to a rest area along I-94 in Jackson County for a report of a person having a seizure. He was directed to an unresponsive female lying in the sleeper berth of a semi unit. After determining the person was pulseless and not breathing, Trooper Rowan immediately began CPR and assisted EMS personnel in transporting the patient to a hospital.
• Trooper Jamie Kahkola of Green Bay (Lifesaving Award) – On April 18, 2017, Trooper Kahkola came upon a pulseless, non-breathing male who had jumped from the WIS 21 Wisconsin River Bridge in Adams County. With the help of bystanders, Trooper Kahkola performed CPR for about seven minutes until relieved by EMS personnel who delivered two shocks to the subject using an automatic defibrillator. The person’s heartbeat was restored and he was transported from the scene by ambulance.
• Trooper Jamie Kahkola of Green Bay (Meritorious Service Award) – On April 5, 2017, Trooper Kahkola responded to the Leo Frigo Bridge over the Fox River in Brown County for a report of a suicidal female. As Trooper Kahkola approached the woman, she stepped over the side of the bridge onto a steel beam and resisted the trooper’s attempts to pull her back to safety. As Trooper Kahkola maintained a dialogue with the woman, other emergency responders arrived including Green Bay Fire Department personnel who positioned a boat in the water below the bridge. Eventually, the woman jumped, but rescuers pulled her from the water in less than a minute and transferred her to a waiting rescue vehicle. The woman was transported to the hospital to recover.
• Several State Patrol officers received Commendable Service Awards for their roles in planning and overseeing the U.S. Open Golf Championship held at Erin Hills in Washington County from June 12 – 19, 2017. The event attracted over 200,000 spectators, some 5,000 volunteers, generated an estimated $120 million economic impact and received a Level 3 Security Assessment rating from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The comprehensive effort to manage traffic, mitigate incidents and develop emergency routing resulted in one of the largest deployments of Wisconsin State Patrol personnel in its history. For their roles in the event, awards went to:

o   Captain Timothy Carnahan, SE Region, (Incident Commander)

o   Lieutenant Nate Clarke, SE Region, (Deputy Incident Commander)

o   Lieutenant Christopher Jushka, SE Region, (Logistics Section Chief)

o   Lieutenant Craig Lindgren, SW Region Post, (Planning Section Chief)

o   Lieutenant Les Mlsna, NW Region, (Deputy Planning Section Chief)

o   Sergeant Scott Zovar, SE Region, (Operations Section Chief)

o   Sergeant Scott Gouin, SW Region, (Deputy Operations Section Chief)

o   Sergeant Daniel Steele, DSP Academy, (Deputy Logistics Section Chief)

• Trooper Steven Frantal of Wisconsin Dells and Trooper Sou Xiong of La Crosse, (Commendable Service Awards) – Following the tragic line-of-duty death of Trooper Anthony Borostowski on April 11, 2017, Troopers Frantal and Xiong were assigned as Family Liaison Officers to provide support for the Borostowski family. This included assisting the family with funeral preparations and transporting family members to various ceremonies. Trooper Frantal previously served as Trooper Borostowski’s field training officer and Trooper Xiong served as his sector partner.
• Trooper Anthony Borostowski of Tomah, (Purple Heart) – The Purple Heart was posthumously presented to the family of Trooper Borostowski for injuries received in the line of duty. While on patrol along I-90/94 in Sauk County on April 11, 2017, Trooper Borostowski’s patrol vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. He is the seventh officer to die in the line of the duty while serving in the Wisconsin State Patrol. In September of 2015, Trooper Borostowski (and Trooper Frantal) received State Patrol Lifesaving Awards for successfully performing CPR on a male subject who was not breathing and had no pulse at a residence in New Lisbon.