Location: Tulare County

Incident Date: 8/28/17

City: Tulare County

Posted by: Media Relations

Sheriff Mike Boudreaux gave Letters of Commendation to 10 employees on Aug. 28, 2017 during an awards ceremony at the Tulare County Board of Supervisors. 

"In my mind, you're all Super Heroes," he said. "Our communities are safer because of what you do every day."

He thanked them for their hard work and praised their successes.

The following employees were honored:

Employee Recognition Awards:

Emergency Dispatcher Melissa Lindsey – She calmly assisted an elderly female 911 caller who had an intruder in her home and efficiently directed deputies to the victim's home. Unfortunately, the woman died during the commission of the crime. The recorded 911 call made the case, because after it was played back to the suspect, he confessed to the crime. 

Det. Gregory Burns – He was recognized for his methodical and tenacious ways of conducting criminal investigations leading to successful prosecution, including an armed robbery at a bank in Orosi; the arrest of a 17-year-old juvenile who participated in or received stolen property from four burglaries; and the arrest of two suspects for burglaries that occurred at an R.V. storage facility. 

Correctional Deputy Danielle Kimes – She was the unseen face behind much of Operation Baby Face, the largest Human Trafficking ring in the history of Tulare County. She went undercover over several months pretending to be an underage female online. With her help, 15 child sexual predators were arrested and she was instrumental in the arrest of three suspects during Operation Baby Face. Without a doubt, Correctional Deputy Kimes helped to protect the children of Tulare County.

Sgt. Steve Sanchez and Det. Kenny Jones – They responded to the scene of an attempted suicide and performed CPR until medical personnel arrived at the scene and took over CPR. A pulse was obtained and the victim was transported to the hospital. 

Sgt. Alan Knight and Dep. Jaime Garza – Although assigned to different areas of responsibility, they both volunteered on Dec. 1, 2016 to take on the major project of removing individuals who had set up camp on private properties along the St. Johns River in addition to their own duties. They made contact with homeless individuals along the river once or twice a week leading up to the deadline for removal, Jan. 9, 2017. Because of the rapport they developed with the homeless and their empathetic and considerate service, the operation went smoothly for all.

Letters of Commendation:

Det. Justin Pipkin – He was the primary investigator for a rash of brazen armed robberies at random convenience stories in the southern communities of Tulare County. After it was learned that similar crimes were happening within the city limits of Lindsay, Porterville and Bakersfield, a task force was formed with allied agencies. Investigations also led to Fremont, Neb. where Det. Pipkin interviewed several potential witnesses. Following a surveillance detail in Porterville, a primary suspect was apprehended. Four others were arrested after a search warrant was served at a residence in Strathmore.

Sgt. Larry Camacho – Regarding the armed robberies mentioned above, Sgt. Camacho was the one who wrote the search warrant, exhibited great supervision and worked tirelessly in making sure certain aspects of the case were exhausted through his subordinates. Execution of the search warrant produced four more suspects.

Det. Florence Cotton – Because of her tireless efforts to locate a missing Tulare County female juvenile, Det. Cotton helped put three suspects behind bars for human trafficking juveniles from Tulare County as well as women and girls from other areas.