Police honor citizen hero, 14 others
Published: August 24, 2005
Perhaps rage fueled Noel Hickey.
Or maybe it was instinct.
Whatever it was, Hickey was able to chase and hold down a would-be thief who tried to break into his office, where his wife and children were waiting.
“At first I thought it was somebody having a seizure and he was helping him, until I saw that he was on top of him,” recalled Denver police Cpl. Danny Veith, who found the two at Hickey’s The Celtic Tavern, 1801 Blake St., on March 28.
On Tuesday, Veith and other officers, including Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman, honored Hickey, 39, and 14 others with citizen awards for efforts above the ordinary that helped the Police Department.
“There is tremendous support out there for the law- enforcement community, especially in this city,” Whitman said. “Thanks for supporting us. It’s very important.”
Veith had called Hickey earlier that day to warn him that a suspicious man had been seen in another restaurant near his. Hickey checked a surveillance camera feed and saw a tall, thick man trying to break into his office.
After searching his restaurant, Hickey found the man in the basement. He chased him and jumped on top of him outside the restaurant in full view of his horrified family just as Veith arrived.
The suspect was a felon who had just been released from prison after serving seven years, Veith said. He carried a screwdriver and, at 6 feet and 200 pounds, outsized Hickey by 2 inches and 20 pounds.
In another commendation, Megan MacDonnell was honored for stopping to help a woman and her young son after they were involved in a car accident in Denver. MacDonnell translated for the Spanish-speaking woman, staying to help even though her ride had to leave and she had to walk a mile home.
Also honored were:
James Taylor, a records supervisor with the Littleton Police Department, for using very little information to find a hit-and-run suspect through a records search.
Donna McNulty, who volunteered her time to help implement traffic-safety programs with her husband, Denver officer Dan McNulty, near Grant Ranch School.
Christine Obrecht and Brad Brown, for helping with a burglary investigation near the Cherry Creek area.
Kim Hensen and KC Clark, for helping a disoriented and dehydrated elderly man who got lost in downtown Denver.
Aaron Church, for years of volunteering his efforts to help the Denver K-9 unit and also K-9 teams throughout the state.
Denver firefighter Richard Montrose, who used his firetruck to slow traffic away from officers on Interstate 70 who were trying to disarm a teenager on crack cocaine.
Mark Netzel and Nicolas Stoffel, for giving their own time to support the runners of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the state, a fundraiser for Special Olympics Colorado.
Other award recipients not present at the ceremony include Chuck Adams, Charles Case and Gregory McKenna.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: