VC Man Recognized For Helping Out Deputy

When Valley County Sheriff Deputy Jesse Vaughn responded to a call about a man in dark clothes walking northbound along Highway 117 between Fort Peck and Nashua in the evening hours of June 9, it was like every other call, that is to say, he had no idea what to expect.

When he found the man in the dark and approached him it did not go according to plan. Vaughn told the Courier, at first he was trying to help the man find a safe alternative to walking in the dark, but after some awkward interactions he realized the man was likely intoxicated and he tried to move him to the light of the patrol vehicle.

"You know coming into contact with him, immediately was weird," said Vaughn, who described a number of actions the individual took that put him on edge. "He started taking off his loose clothing, so right off the bat there was some weird stuff going on."

After he asked the guy to move out of the dark, Vaughn said the man refused and asked if he was being detained, to which the deputy pointed out that he had been drinking and he could in fact detain him.

"Originally, I was going to try to help him, to get him a ride, because I didn't know where he was going or what he was doing," said Vaughn, but when he tried to identify the man and communicate with him, he refused to cooperate.

When the deputy tried to move the man to the vehicle, he refused and the two went to the ground on the fog line of the northbound lane. As the two were scuffling, Vaughn said he was aware of two vehicles approaching from both directions, so instead of immediately subduing the suspect, he instead had to signal the oncoming cars with his flashlight as the two wrestled in complete darkness.

It was at that same time that Jason Murdock was out for a drive to get away from the heat of his shop for a bit. He saw the sheriff lights in the distance and decided to check it out and see what was going on. As he approached, he said he then noticed a faint flashing light in the roadway and he started to slow down.

In the oncoming lane, a car had done the same and started to roll past the signaling light. When the lane was clear Murdock said he went to go around the light, but stopped when he noticed the deputy was wrestling a guy in the street. He pulled over and put his lights on the two men. Murdock says he knows a thing or two about how treacherous the roads can be from his work at the Montana department of Transportation, so he decided to help in anyway he could.

"As I was [going around them] I could see in my headlights that he had this guy on the ground and I could see that he was struggling with him," said Murdock. "So, I threw it in reverse and kind of got off the edge of the road." Next, he says, he ran into the headlights and asked the deputy if he needed any help.

Vaughn said he considered the offer for a second debating on whether or not it would be safe for the civilian to help and after a few seconds he shouted for him to come over and help. Vaughn gave the good Samaritan his handcuffs as he tried to wrestle the man's hands into position. Finally, the deputy dry stunned the suspect with his taser and he was able to get his wrists into position. Murdock slapped the cuffs on him and they went to put the man in the car.

"It took us a while to get him [up]," said Murdock. "We got him up once, we were walking him towards the vehicle and he just basically sat down and quit walking. Then we got him to the vehicle but even then it was a struggle, he just wasn't going to cooperate."

After they got him into the car, Murdock said he did not even have time to get the deputy's name before he took off. Before he left Vaughn asked Murdock to call into dispatch and give them his information for a follow up call if needed and the two parted ways on what proved to be an eventful Tuesday night.

Asked why he stopped, Murdock said he was aware of the fact that the deputy was by himself and that he had no idea how long it would take for any other help to arrive. That fact, coupled with his knowledge of the hazards of being on the side of the road, he decided to do what he could do to help.

"These guys have to cover a vast area and help is not always a radio call away," said Murdock, who added, "everything went good there, I mean, Jesse [Vaughn] had him secure. There was no way he was getting away from him, but at the same time he was putting up a good fight, so I mean I just felt if he needed my help he could have it."

Undersheriff Chris Richter echoed that sentiment, insisting that Vaughn would have made the arrest on his own, but that the safety of everyone involved was aided by Murdock's quick help. "Jason [Murdock]'s actions just ensured the safety of Deputy Vaughn and the suspect," he said.

After hearing of the citizen's assist in the arrest, both Undersheriff Chris Richter and Sheriff Tom Boyer wanted to recognize the man in some way for his selfless actions on the road that day, so on June 25, Boyer and Vaughn met up with Murdock to present him with a token of their appreciation for his help that night.

"The Valley County Sheriff's Office appreciates the actions of Jason Murdock and we recognize the great community that we protect and serve," said Richter. "Success in our office is in a working relationship with the community."

Vaughn was grateful to Murdock for his help that night. The deputy pointed out that based on what he knows about the man who assisted him, is that he would have stopped to help anyone in need whether they were a cop or not. Still, he was grateful that he was willing to stop and help out law enforcement.

"I think overall, there's people like him all over the place and I just wish we ran into them a little more often," said Vaughn. "I think it was a really great, great thing for him to do."

The suspect was charged with intoxicated pedestrian, walking or standing on the roadway, obstructing a peace officer and resisting arrest. All of the counts are misdemeanors. Richter said it was uncommon for the office to charge a person with intoxicated pedestrian and that usually the office finds an alternative like finding the person a ride home or encouraging them to take a safer route away from the roadway. "It's a safety concern," said Richter. "We can't have someone getting hit in the road because they're walking in the dark down the roadway."