A courageous crew: Capt. Robert Ritchie (far right) presented Officer of the Month awards to Bryan Howell (far left) and John Connors.
Police Officers John Connors and Bryan Howell have been named Officers of the Month for December in the Far Northeast’s 7th district. Connors and Howell were recognized for their job performance during the monthly meeting of the 7th Police District Advisory Council on Dec. 19.
Connors and Howell reunited a burglary victim with his stolen all-terrain vehicle on Dec. 1. The officers were on patrol in plain clothes that day and trying to solve a recent rash of short-dumping cases in the district. On the 8300 block of Algon Ave., they saw a white U-Haul pickup truck with Arizona tags and a blue and white ATV in the payload bed.
The ATV fit the description of one that had been stolen in a recent burglary in the 8th district. Its state registration tag matched the tag of the stolen ATV, too.
The officers contacted the burglary victim, who arrived at the scene of the vehicle stop and identified the ATV as his property. Connors and Howell arrested two men occupying the pickup truck. They were charged with burglary and related offenses. ••
