FRANKFORT - The Kentucky State Police announced the 2011 Trooper of the Year, Detective of the Year, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer of the Year and other awards for acts of bravery, life-saving, professionalism and dedication to duty Monday at the Capital Plaza Hotel in Frankfort. Williamsburg-resident Senior Trooper Clyde Dingess was named 2011 Trooper of the Year. An eight-year veteran of the Kentucky State Police, he is assigned to KSP Post 11 in London.During 2011, Dingess issued 1,208 citations including 217 for speeding, 228 for seatbelt violations and 12 for child restraint violations. He made 315 criminal arrests and 27 DUI arrests.
In addition to his traffic enforcement efforts, Dingess also worked on copper wire theft cases in Whitley County, successfully identifying a scrap metal year that was receiving the stolen wire. His work on burglary cases led to the discovery of an illegal pawn shop in Corbin. He also conducted multiple methamphetamine investigations, one of which resulted in a suspect facing federal charges.
A native of Corbin, Dingess is a 1994 graduate of Whitley Co. High School. He is the son of Roger and Sheila Dingess of Barbourville.
Madisonville-resident Det. Daniel Morck was named 2011 Detective of the Year. A 10-year veteran of the Kentucky State Police, he is assigned to KSP Post 2 in Madisonville.
During 2011, Morck had a total of 619 criminal arrests, answered 52 complaints and took part in 97 special details. He has also taken an active role in seeking out offenders involved in sexual abuse and the exploitation of children on the internet.
Because of his efforts, one subject was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing his 16-year-old daughter since she was nine years old. In another case, he was able to secure warrants against a subject for sexual abuse of three victims aged 5, 11 and 13 years old. He also secured a confession from a subject who was found to have 249 child exploitation images in his computer
Morck is the son Bob and Trish Morck of Madisonville.
Frankfort-resident Officer Jeremy Younger was named the 2011 Jason Cammack Officer of the Year for the KSP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division. A two-and-a-half year veteran of the division, Younger serves as a CVE Officer I in Region 3 based in Georgetown.
Younger maintained a high level of activity in 2011, including 332 criminal arrests and 38 citations for driving under influence. He completed 848 commercial motor vehicle safety inspections and 84 hazardous materials inspections. Due to his efforts, 73 drivers and 32 vehicles were placed out of service. He also investigated 37 collisions on Kentucky roadways.
In one incident, Younger stopped a Volvo tractor trailer for a random inspection and discovered that it had been stolen from California several months earlier.
A native of Frankfort, Younger is a 2003 graduate of Western Hills High School and a 2006 graduate of Eastern Kentucky University. He is the son of Larry and Betty Younger of Frankfort.
The KSP Citation for Bravery, an honor bestowed on officers of the agency who perform acts of bravery, without regard for personal risk, of clear and obvious peril and clearly above and beyond the call or risk of ordinary duty, was presented to:
Trooper First Class Eric Taylor, Post 7, Richmond
Senior Trooper Christopher Hicks, Post 9, Pikeville
Trooper Joel Abner, Post 13, Hazard
Trooper Randall Riley, Post 13, Hazard
Trooper Issac Whitaker, Post 13, Hazard
The Lifesaving Medal, awarded to officers who perform life-saving acts under extraordinary circumstances, was presented to:
Trooper Thomas Clifton, Post 1, Mayfield
Trooper Alison Ramsey, Post 1, Mayfield
Trooper Jonathon Ward, Post 1, Mayfield
Trooper Edward Whitworth, Post 12, Frankfort
Trooper Robert Purdy, Recruitment
Senior Trooper Jason McCowan, Special Operations
The Citation for Meritorious Service with “V” Device for Valor, bestowed on officers of the agency who distinguish themselves by an act of courage performed under more than ordinary circumstances, was presented to:
Trooper Seth Lee, Post 4, Elizabethtown
Det. Daniel Propes, Post 4, Elizabethtown
Trooper Justin Spears, Post 4, Elizabethtown
Capt. John Ward, Post 4, Elizabethtown
Sgt. Nathaniel Day, CVE Region 5, Georgetown
Sgt. Roger Gabbard, Post 9, Pikeville
Trooper Randall Coots, Post 13, Hazard
Sgt. Raymond Engle (retired), Post 13, Hazard
Sgt. Thomas Walsh, Drug Enforcement/Special Investigations West
Eighteen troopers were named Trooper of the Year at the post, branch or division level. They include:
Senior Trooper Bradley Ramsey, Post 1, Mayfield
Trooper Jeffrey M. Ayres, Post 2, Madisonville
Senior Trooper Charles White, Post 3, Bowling Green
Senior Trooper Peter Binkley, Post 4, Elizabethtown
Trooper First Class James Mitchell, Post 5, Campbellsburg
Trooper Scott Allen, Post 6, Dry Ridge
Trooper First Class Toby Coyle, Post 7, Richmond
Trooper Anson Tribby, Post 8, Morehead
Trooper First Class James Goble, Post 9, Pikeville
Senior Trooper Jason Young, Post 10, Harlan
Senior Trooper Clyde Dingess, Post 11, London
Senior Trooper Jeremy Devasher, Post 12, Frankfort
Senior Trooper John Hollon, Post 13, Hazard
Trooper First Class Shane Goodall, Post 14, Ashland
Senior Trooper Robert Maxwell, Post 15, Columbia
Trooper Aaron Pryor, Post 16, Henderson
Senior Trooper James Sandlin, Special Operations Branch
Trooper First Class Mack Rayburn, Administrative Division
Nineteen troopers were named Detective of the Year at the post, branch or division level. They include:
Det. John Sims, Post 1, Mayfield
Det. Daniel Morck, Post 2, Madisonville
Det. James C. Winn, Post 3, Bowling Green
Det. John Stroop, Post 4, Elizabethtown
Det. Kevin Johnson, Post 5, Campbellsburg
Det. Scott Lengle, Post 6, Dry Ridge
Det. Roger Short, Post 7, Richmond
Det. Virgil Rucker, Post 8, Morehead
Det. Brian Lee, Post 9, Pikeville
Det. Edward Abner, Post 10, Harlan
Det. William Boyd, Post 11, London
Det. Alfred Calhoon, Post 12, Frankfort
Det. Clayton Stamper, Jr., Post 13, Hazard
Det. Christopher Carter, Post 14, Ashland
Det. Russell Decker, Post 15, Columbia
Det. Matthew Wise, Post 16, Henderson
Det. Hector Alcala, East Drug Enforcement/Special Investigations
Det. John Williams, West Drug Enforcement/Special Investigations
Det. John R. Morgan, Electronic Crime Branch
Six Commercial Vehicle Enforcement officers were named Officer of the Year at the region level, including:
CVE Officer Brandon Goodman, Region 1, Henderson
CVE Officer Dewayne Koch, Region 2, Louisville
CVE Officer Jeremy Younger, Region 3, Georgetown
CVE Officer Dennis Jackson, Region 4, London
CVE Officer Tommy Jones, Region 5, Morehead
CVE Officer Kenny Johnson, Region 6, Pikeville
The 2011 KSP Safe Driving Awards, which recognize the KSP post and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement region with the highest average number of safe driving miles between assessable accidents, were presented to KSP Post 13 in Hazard and CVE Region 2 in Louisville. Post 13 had a record of 1 million, 104,205 miles with no assessable collisions. Region 2 had a record of 790,618 miles with no assessable collisions.
The KSP Citation for Meritorious Achievement, the agency’s highest civilian award bestowed upon individuals who performed an extraordinary act of service or heroism in direct support of an officer of the agency engaged in the official performance of duty, was presented to:
Deputy Reeve Hudson, Jr., Breathitt Co. Sheriff’s Office.
Hudson received the award for an incident in May of 2011 in the Clayhole community of Breathitt County. Hudson took action to protect KSP troopers and a CVE officer who were fired upon by a subject in a wooded area. Hudson returned fire and wounded the subject, who was later found deceased.
