May 9, 2019 (Boise) – Six law enforcement officers will receive the Idaho Medal of Honor for performing with exceptional courage and bravery while protecting the public.

The medal will be awarded Wednesday, May 15, in a ceremony at the Idaho Capitol.

The state’s highest honor for law enforcement officers, firefighting professionals and emergency medical service providers will be awarded to:

  • Officer Kyle Mikowski, Meridian Police Department;
  • Sergeant Carlos De Leon, Jr., Ada County Sheriff’s Office;
  • Deputy David Anderson, Ada County Sheriff’s Office;
  • Deputy Derek Beardall, Ada County Sheriff’s Office;
  • Deputy Michael Geisel, Ada County Sheriff’s Office; and
  • Deputy, Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

“All of these officers are very deserving of this award,” said Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, chairman of the Idaho Medal of Honor Commission. “They showed tremendous courage in the face of danger to themselves and others. They, their families and their communities should be very proud to have these men don law enforcement badges every day. I commend each for their bravery and thank them for their exemplary service.”

Governor Brad Little will present each recipient with the Medal of Honor during a 2:00 p.m. ceremony in the Lincoln Auditorium, located in the West Wing of the Capitol’s Garden Level.

On July 1, 2018, Mikowski was on patrol when he began pursuing a car owned by an individual who had a warrant out for his arrest. When the officer was about to initiate a traffic stop, the driver quickly turned in an effort to get away. The suspect later stopped in a residential neighborhood and fled on foot. Mikowski pursued the man down a walking path, ordered him to stop and threatened use of a Taser. The suspect did not heed the warning and the officer employed his Taser. As the suspect fell to the ground, he drew a loaded handgun and shot the officer in both legs. Mikowski immediately returned fire, resulting in the suspect’s death. The officer then self-applied a tourniquet to his wounds and assisted responding personnel in finding his location.

All five Ada County Sheriff’s deputies will receive the award for the valor they exhibited while responding to a 911 call on September 27, 2017 for a prowler and possible home invasion at a rural Meridian home. When they arrived, deputies found a violent and intoxicated man had broken into the residence. The deputies could hear the man threatening the lives of both the residents inside and the deputies outside. The man, armed with a rifle, then walked out of the house and pointed the gun at the deputies. The deputies fired at and struck the man, who retreated into the house. Soon, deputies began to smell gasoline and could hear a woman screaming as smoke began billowing from the residence. The armed man’s condition and exact position inside the home were not clear. Despite the imminent threat he presented, as well as heat and smoke from the fire, the deputies initiated a rescue attempt of the victims trapped inside. As a result, two residents were pulled to safety.

The Idaho Legislature created the Idaho Medal of Honor in 2004 to generate statewide recognition for extraordinary acts of valor and heroism by Idaho firefighters and police. Emergency medical service (EMS) providers became eligible for the award in 2005.

For more information about the Idaho Medal of Honor and past recipients, visit: https://medalofhonor.idaho.gov/.

###