Arnold, Jefferson County Law Enforcement Officers Receive Missouri Medal of Valor

Arnold Police Officer Darren M. Rodgers and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Gerald L. Williams are among six law enforcement officers in the St. Louis area to receive the Missouri Medal of Valor from Gov. Jay Nixon in an 11 a.m. ceremony at the Governor’s office in Jefferson City Wednesday.

Rodgers and Williams earned their medals by working to capture a suspect hiding 50 guns in a shed in Imperial, the governor’s office said in a news release after the ceremony. 

Williams and Rodgers acted on tip on Jan. 29, 2010, found a suspect in a shed and ordered him to surrender. The suspect pointed a gun at Williams’ head, the news release said.

Williams was shot in the arm, instead of in the face, after moving towards the gunman, grabbing the the suspect's weapon hand, and twisting his arm.

Despite his injury, Williams struggled with the suspect.

Rodgers drew his weapon during the struggle, confirmed no officer would be injured, fired two shots, hit the suspect and disabled him. The gunman survived his wounds, the news release said.

Rodgers and Williams caught a suspect wanted for robbery and armed criminal action.

A total of eight officers received the medal in the ceremony. The officers, accompanied by family members and department colleagues, received the medals for extraordinary acts of bravery and heroism in 2010 that saved the lives of Missourians. 

The other St. Louis-area recipients of the Medal of Valor included:

• Mathew R. Crosby and Jorden G. Lewis, of the Rock Hill Police Department;
• Joseph R. Haman, of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department;
• Steven M. Landness, of the O’Fallon Police Department;
• Donald L. Doza, of Troop F of the Missouri State Highway Patrol; and
• Kenneith D. Smith Jr., of the St. Joseph Police Department.