DATE: Tuesday, April 15, 1997               TAG: 9704140157

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   72 lines

CITIZENS HONORED FOR HEROISM AND PUBLIC SERVICE

The Police Department recently honored 34 people and two organizations for heroism and public service.

Medal of Valor - On Feb. 24, 1996, officers Jared R. Legg and Rafael Vargas were on a routine call when Norfolk police called for assistance in stopping a car believed driven by a slaying suspect.

The officers spotted the car, which stopped for a moment but then sped off. After a brief pursuit, the car jumped a curb, blowing out a tire, and the driver fled.

He jumped a fence and Legg and Vargas followed. Gunshots were exchanged several times, and both officers were in the open with no cover.

Although Vargas' weapon malfunctioned, both officers stood their ground and Legg returned fire. One bullet went through Legg's trousers. The suspect was killed.

The gunman, Sammy J. Gary, 20, of Portsmouth, had been wanted on more than a dozen charges and authorities said he had killed two strangers in two carjacking incidents a day earlier.

Medal of Valor - On Jan. 31, 1996, officer Wayne C. Simms was on routine patrol when he responded to a report of an armed robbery at a jewelry store in Hilltop.

Simms spotted and chased the suspect, who opened fire. The officer returned fire and continued the pursuit. The suspect was struck and later died.

The gunman, Edward Carolina, 42, had a history of violence over nearly 20 years.

Silver Cross - Sgt. D. S. Hart and officers J. Massie and R. J. Michael.

Special Commendation - Chaplains W. B. Dodd and F. Sherman.

On Sept. 20, 1996, police responded to a report that a woman's estranged husband had forced his way into her Riviera Drive home, where he shot a man visiting there and then held the woman at gunpoint.

Massie and Michael, among the first officers on the scene, could see the injured man inside the home, but the woman had yelled to them to stay away - that her husband was armed with a shotgun.

Believing the man's life might hang in the balance, the officers decided there was no time to wait for SWAT team members to arrive and force entry to the house.

Hart negotiated with the gunman to allow the three officers to enter the home and remove the injured man. They broke and climbed through a window and pulled the man out.

Dodd and Sherman then joined in helping to carry the victim to a safe location. Despite their efforts, the man's injuries were fatal.

The gunman was charged with killing his wife later that night.

Medals of Merit - Lt. D. Free, Sgt. D. B. Backman and Master Police Officers A.R. Torres, G.L. Hayes, B. B. Harris and R. E. Simpson.

Blue Star Medal - Master Police Officer Rich J. Dinapoli.

Life Saving Medals: Lt. D. E. Free; Detectives A. B. Byrum and J. Javey; Master Police Officers J. N. Hoover, J. F. Runge and J. G. Griffin; Officers K. A. Doran and B. J. Montella; Sheriff's Deputy Terry Reese; civilians Steve Burman, Steve Green, Larry Norton, Mary Foley, Tim Foley, Donny R. Jordan and Todd Stitik.

Commendation awards: Doug Cashwell for assisting police in the capture of five fleeing teen-age suspects; Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents M. R. Cranfill and R. S. Mack for assisting the marine patrol in stopping and arresting a drunken boater, Dec. 11, 1996.

Special commendation: Chaplain S. A. Sherman, for assisting police in locating a suspect in an attempted child abduction and an attempted carjacking, May 3, 1996.

Meritorious public service awards: Chanello's Pizza and the Kempsville Volunteer Rescue Squad. KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA BEACH POLICE AWARD

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