By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor

Nine POLC-represented Police Officers were honored for their bravery in extreme circumstances with 2025 POLC Outstanding Service Awards (OSA). Six Jackson Police Officers, two Barry County Sheriff’s Deputies, and a Metro Police Authority of Genesee County Sergeant were recognized during the POLC/GELC Annual Conference in Traverse City on Sept. 12, 2025.

JACKSON POLICE OFFICERS 
Jackson Police Officers Abigail Albrecht, Jason Allison, Brad Elston, Trent Marcum, JC Solomon, and Sgt. Wesley Stanton stopped a bomb-wielding gunman, who fled from police Nov. 6, 2024 after allegedly shooting his brother.

Photo courtesy of Jackson Police Department Officer Abigail Albrecht

Jackson Police tracked Jacob Austin Hikes, 31, using cell phone signals to his van parked on Argyle Street near Cooper Road. When Officer Allison made contact with the vehicle, the driver sped away with Allison in pursuit, followed by Officers Albrecht and Solomon, sparking a 7-minute harrowing chase. “During the pursuit, the suspect driver shot at officers while hurling explosive devices out of his vehicle in the direction of pursuing officers,” wrote POLC Labor Rep. Scott Blackwell in his OSA nomination letter. 

Hikes stopped his van three times, firing more rounds at police. During the first stop, a bullet from Hikes’ weapon entered a home on Orange Street, nearly striking a resident, as it went through her hair, according to the Michigan State Police investigation. The suspect fled again with Officer Elston and Sgt. Stanton leading the pursuit. He stopped a second time, firing at police and riddling Elston’s car with bullets, causing the officer to exit the vehicle to safety. Sgt. Stanton was shot by Hikes and returned fire, shooting the suspect. “I was struck in the forearm. It came out my bicep and went into my side where the vest doesn’t cover. It went into my chest,” Stanton said. “I was struck with another bullet in the chest. The vest stopped that one.” 

While a Jackson County Officer rushed Stanton to the hospital, Hikes fled with Officers Ellison, Solomon and Albrecht firing at his van. “Despite his vehicle being heavily damaged due to gunfire, Officer Elston was able to reengage the pursuit, while providing critical information over the radio to other officers in the area,” Blackwell wrote.

Finally, Hikes stopped his van near Washington Avenue and South East Street and exited while shooting at police. “During this exchange of gunfire, the suspect, who was lying prone behind his vehicle for cover, was fatally shot by Officer Allison,” Blackwell wrote. “Numerous explosives were located in the suspect’s vehicle, and investigators determined that the suspect had thrown several explosives out of his vehicle during the pursuit as there were explosions along with gunfire. Multiple weapons and explosives were recovered during the investigation.” 

Stanton underwent surgery to remove the bullet, returning to work five months later. Jackson County Prosecutor Kelsey Guernsey said all six officers were justified in discharging their service weapons to protect themselves and the community. “The heroic actions of the officers of the Jackson Police Department prevented untold carnage and potential loss of life,” Blackwell wrote. 

BARRY COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTIES
Barry County Sheriff’s Deputies Ricky Odette III and Caleb Skaggs brave and critical actions saved the lives of a woman, her three children, and themselves.

The victim called 9-1-1 and said her husband, Jeremiah Johnson, 37, refused to drive her home Oct. 28, 2024. She tried to cancel the call saying he would take her home and she would call back if he didn’t. The deputies went to the home, on the 7000 block of Kingsbury Rd. in Delton, MI, to check on the woman. “As they were approaching, dispatch advised them that the wife had called back and stated that her husband was burning property inside the house, was holding a gun to her head, and was threatening to kill her and her children before the call disconnected,” wrote POLC Labor Rep. Scott Eager in his OSA nomination. “Based upon the information from dispatch, Skaggs and Odette had a reasonable fear for the safety of the wife and her children.”

The deputies parked at the end of the driveway and quietly entered the home through an open front door. They observed smoke and smelled something burning and followed the voices of the yelling couple to the open door of the master bedroom. Deputy Skaggs entered the bedroom, and seeing no weapon, ordered Johnson not to move as he walked toward him. “He was a few feet away from the bed and she was sitting on the bed. When I got closer, he drew a gun from his waistband behind his back,” Skaggs said. “I grabbed the underpart of his arm … I controlled his wrists with both my hands and pushed that hand and wrist into the window.”

Deputy Odette entered the room with his weapon drawn. “Skaggs was unable to gain full control of the suspect’s gun and Odette saw the muzzle of the pistol moving in the direction of Skaggs’s chest and head,” Eager wrote. “Deputy Odette … reasonably believed his partner’s life was in jeopardy at that moment and fired several rounds into the suspect to eliminate the threat."

“As I saw the barrel of the gun going up toward Caleb’s body, I knew I had to shoot the guy to get it to stop,” Odette said. “There was zero chance (his wife) would ever get hit. I was basically shooting away from her.”

Johnson dropped the weapon and the deputies immediately began first aid on him until EMS arrived. However, he succumbed to his injuries.

“Deputy Skaggs’ actions, by immediately grabbing and re-directing suspect’s firearm, prevented the suspect from shooting his wife or the deputies. His decisive action and courage in that moment should be commended,” Eager wrote. “Deputy Odette displayed the same decisive action and courage by observing the threat to his partner and seeing that he had a clear shooting lane that would not endanger anyone else and eliminating that threat. Deputy Skaggs credits Deputy Odette with saving his life in that moment.”

Afterwards, as the room filled with smoke, the deputies located the children and got them out of the house. Deputy Odette found a comforter ablaze in a bathroom and put the fire out in the shower. 

“When I look at this award, it’s more like because of what I did my partner and I got to go home that night. None of us died. I’m just very thankful,” Odette said.

“In some cases, (police) would drive up with lights on and walk up,” Skaggs said. “Jeremiah had a loaded AK47 and a total of seven guns in the room, and the window overlooked the driveway. It came down to sticking to those fundamentals because we wouldn’t have the opportunity to get into the room with him otherwise. If he started shooting at us from the window, it would have gotten bad. There was nothing to block us. He would have had all those hostages and a house on fire.”

The Barry County Prosecutor said Deputy Odette was justified in the fatal shooting as Johnson threatened his wife with a gun and struggled with Deputy Skaggs over the weapon when he was shot.

METRO POLICE AUTHORITY OF GENESEE COUNTY
Metro Police Authority of Genesee County Sgt. Blake Hiben’s heroic actions ended a fiery police chase and stopped the gunman who had fired at least 10 rounds at police.

Police were dispatched Feb. 27, 2025 for a suspicious vehicle traveling slowly near Linden and Hill roads with the lights off. Metro Police Authority of Genesee County Officer John Badal pulled the suspect over at the Meijer parking lot in Mundy Township. “He advised me he had a warrant out of Detroit,” Badal said. “He would not give me his name or driver’s license.” 

The suspect, later identified as 39-year-old Robert Joseph Nowotny of Garden City, demanded to speak to Badal’s Sergeant and would only crack his window open one inch. When Sgt. Hiben arrived, Nowotny refused to open the window any further and, as Badal began using the window punch, he fled the scene. Both officers pursued the suspect northbound on Torrey Road, with Badal leading the first half of the 30-minute chase until Metro Police Officer Nichole Gillett joined the pursuit. “The pursuit eventually went eastbound on Bristol Road in Flint, and the van lost its rear driver’s side tire, which began sparking for several miles,” Officer Badal wrote in his OSA nomination. “Eventually, we entered the Davison Township area and the rear of the van became fully engulfed in fire and lit the roadway on fire from the leaking gas tank.”

With 2 to 3-foot-high flames, Hiben pulled his higher clearance F-150 patrol vehicle closest to Nowotny’s van as it came to a stop. “The suspect fired approximately eight rounds through Sgt. Hiben’s driver’s side windshield and several more rounds through the front end of his cruiser from close range,” Officer Badal wrote. “Sgt. Hiben bailed out of his cruiser while still in gear, ran around behind and up the passenger side of his cruiser and returned fire striking the suspect and stopping the threat.”

“I was using the car as cover and concealment,” Hiben said. “I think it startled him that I emerged from the back of it. I think he thought I was dead.”

Davison Township Police helped move Nowotny away from the burning van and officers performed lifesaving measures. Seconds later, explosions were coming from a large amount of ammunition in the van.

“Sgt. Hiben’s courageous selflessness, and willingness to stop the threat immediately, put an end of an extremely dangerous individual while no officers were injured in this incident,” Badal wrote.

Nowotny was charged with assault with intent to murder, fleeing and eluding officers in the third degree, felony firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon. Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said Sgt. Hiben was justified in using deadly force.