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| Subject: Correction officer receives medal of valor | |
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Author: Stay Safe Guy's |
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Date Posted: 22:26:09 07/01/08 Tue Correction officer receives medal of valor By Leeanne T. Stronach Tue Jul 01, 2008, 12:36 PM EDT Tools: E-Mail Comments Share StumbleUpon Newsvine del.icio.us Digg Holbrook - Feb. 27, 2007 turned out to be anything but a routine day on the job for Correction Officer Kevin Sheehan of Holbrook. Sheehan, 49, is a Norfolk County Sheriff’s Department correction officer in its transportation department. His job involves taking prisoners to and from correctional facilities or courthouses. Before transporting now convicted rapist Che Sosa, Sheehan, who was accompanied by Capt. John Dunne, was forewarned that anything could happen so he should be prepared. It was an incident that occurred at the Norfolk County Superior Courthouse involving Sosa that earned Sheehan and Dunne medals of valor from the state Department of Public Safety at the 11th annual Correction Officer of the Year awards ceremony. During Sosa’s appearance before a judge as he stood side by side with his defense attorney, John Courtney, Sosa attacked Courtney with a plexi-glass weapon he had fashioned into a knife. Sosa attacked his attorney’s face and attempted to get him in the neck with the approximately seven-inch makeshift knife, Sheehan said. As the attack occurred, Sheehan’s and Dunne’s training took over. Sheehan said he first thought that Sosa had just punched Courtney. Sheehan utilized take down moves and defensive tactics that during his 17 years as a correction officer he’d been trained to use to wrestle Sosa to the ground with Dunne’s assistance. The plexi-glass knife fell out of Sosa’s hand while he was being restrained. Once Sosa was restrained and handcuffed, he was taken to the transport van and back to the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Cedar Junction in Walpole. “He would have stabbed other people or us if he’d had the chance,” Sheehan said of Sosa. Sheehan described Sosa as a muscular man who knows mixed martial arts. Sosa had made threats to his lawyer prior to the incident, according to Sheehan. “We did the right thing and I’d do it again,” Sheehan said. Sheehan has lived in Holbrook his entire life. He attended Cardinal Spellman High School and graduated from Blue Hills Regional Technical School in 1977. Sheehan is married to Kristen and they have a five-month-old boy named Aiden. As a correction officer, Sheehan has been involved with other altercations over the years, but none of the magnitude of the Sosa incident, he said. Sheehan isn’t the type to back down because of his training and upbringing, and it was just a reaction for him, when he heard Sosa yell out, to enter the fray. “I react first and think about it afterward,” he said. This was the first time Sheehan received a medal of valor. “I was honored to get it,” he said. The award presentation, followed by a luncheon, was held on June 23 in the House Chambers of the Massachusetts State House. Sixteen officers from around the state, including Sheehan, were honored. In attendance were Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, Secretary of Public Safety Kevin Burke, Department of Correction Commissioner Harold Clarke, and Norfolk County Sheriff Michael Bellotti. Murray and Bellotti presented Sheehan with his award. “Officer Sheehan’s actions were truly heroic,” Bellotti said. “He rushed into a dangerous situation without regard for his own safety. He and his fellow officers deserve tremendous credit.” Leeanne Stronach can be contacted at ltstronach@comcast.net. By Leeanne T. Stronach Tue Jul 01, 2008, 12:36 PM EDT Tools: E-Mail Comments Share StumbleUpon Newsvine del.icio.us Digg Holbrook - Feb. 27, 2007 turned out to be anything but a routine day on the job for Correction Officer Kevin Sheehan of Holbrook. Sheehan, 49, is a Norfolk County Sheriff’s Department correction officer in its transportation department. His job involves taking prisoners to and from correctional facilities or courthouses. Before transporting now convicted rapist Che Sosa, Sheehan, who was accompanied by Capt. John Dunne, was forewarned that anything could happen so he should be prepared. It was an incident that occurred at the Norfolk County Superior Courthouse involving Sosa that earned Sheehan and Dunne medals of valor from the state Department of Public Safety at the 11th annual Correction Officer of the Year awards ceremony. During Sosa’s appearance before a judge as he stood side by side with his defense attorney, John Courtney, Sosa attacked Courtney with a plexi-glass weapon he had fashioned into a knife. Sosa attacked his attorney’s face and attempted to get him in the neck with the approximately seven-inch makeshift knife, Sheehan said. As the attack occurred, Sheehan’s and Dunne’s training took over. Sheehan said he first thought that Sosa had just punched Courtney. Sheehan utilized take down moves and defensive tactics that during his 17 years as a correction officer he’d been trained to use to wrestle Sosa to the ground with Dunne’s assistance. The plexi-glass knife fell out of Sosa’s hand while he was being restrained. Once Sosa was restrained and handcuffed, he was taken to the transport van and back to the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Cedar Junction in Walpole. “He would have stabbed other people or us if he’d had the chance,” Sheehan said of Sosa. Sheehan described Sosa as a muscular man who knows mixed martial arts. Sosa had made threats to his lawyer prior to the incident, according to Sheehan. “We did the right thing and I’d do it again,” Sheehan said. Sheehan has lived in Holbrook his entire life. He attended Cardinal Spellman High School and graduated from Blue Hills Regional Technical School in 1977. Sheehan is married to Kristen and they have a five-month-old boy named Aiden. As a correction officer, Sheehan has been involved with other altercations over the years, but none of the magnitude of the Sosa incident, he said. Sheehan isn’t the type to back down because of his training and upbringing, and it was just a reaction for him, when he heard Sosa yell out, to enter the fray. “I react first and think about it afterward,” he said. This was the first time Sheehan received a medal of valor. “I was honored to get it,” he said. The award presentation, followed by a luncheon, was held on June 23 in the House Chambers of the Massachusetts State House. Sixteen officers from around the state, including Sheehan, were honored. In attendance were Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, Secretary of Public Safety Kevin Burke, Department of Correction Commissioner Harold Clarke, and Norfolk County Sheriff Michael Bellotti. Murray and Bellotti presented Sheehan with his award. “Officer Sheehan’s actions were truly heroic,” Bellotti said. “He rushed into a dangerous situation without regard for his own safety. He and his fellow officers deserve tremendous credit.” Leeanne Stronach can be contacted at ltstronach@comcast.net. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
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