Bureau of Law Enforcement
Valor Award

Presented to:

Kyle Drake

Mitch Groenier

Jon Hagen

Doug Zeihen

For their service on June 29, 2003

During what was described as a "busy" Sunday on Lake Tichigan by the Milw. Journal, Warden Hochhausen and Deputy Warden Spaight observed a subject operating a racing boat at a high rate of speed across the lake. They then observed the operator fall out of the boat and the boat started circling the fallen operator. At great personal risk to their safety, Hochhausen and Spaight rescued the victim. During the rescue, Wardens Zeihen and Hagen positioned their boat to shield Hochhausen and Spaight from the runaway speedboat.

While the rescue and first aid efforts were ongoing Wardens Drake and Groenier pursued and caught up to the runaway motorboat. While the boats were operating at planing speeds, Groenier positioned his patrol boat to allow Drake to leap from the warden boat to the runaway boat. Drake was able to stop the boat. A local police officer who was on hand to witness the bulldogging of the runaway boat was later quoted "It was the bravest thing I ever saw someone do."

The driver of the boat was arrested for operating a motorboat while under the influence of an intoxicant. Witnesses stated that had the wardens not rescued the operator he would have drowned and had the wardens not secured the runaway boat, it would have hit other boats in the immediate area.