Montezuma County sheriff's office honors 13 for life-saving work

Montezuma County law enforcement presented its largest-ever group of honorees on Jan. 10, 2026, recognizing 13 individuals for actions ranging from backcountry rescue to a multi-year homicide investigation. The ceremony at Montezuma-Cortez High School’s Ralph Vavak Theater underscored several operational priorities with direct implications for neighboring Dolores County: narcotics interdiction, traffic and DUI enforcement, detention medical response, and cross-agency rescue coordination.

Sheriff Steve Nowlin opened the program by framing the department’s work around the oath of office and its mission to serve. Among those recognized, DEA Special Agent Jacqueline Scott received a Distinguished Service Recognition for her role with the Montezuma/Cortez Narcotics Investigation Team, signaling sustained federal-local collaboration on drug enforcement that crosses county lines. That partnership affects drug interdiction strategies on shared roadways and informs resource needs for regional prosecutions and prevention efforts.

Traffic enforcement was a prominent theme. Deputy Kaylee Green was named 2025 Traffic Enforcement Deputy of the Year after issuing 95 citations and was commended for a three-mile backcountry rescue of an injured hunter near Grindstone Trail, coordinating with Rico Fire Department and a medevac. Several deputies, including Kyler Rogers, were singled out for high DUI arrest numbers, reflecting a concentrated enforcement posture that could shift travel patterns and public expectations on highway safety throughout the region.

Internal operations and staffing pressures also emerged. Deputy Justin Lewis received both a Life Saving award as part of a team responding to a detention-center medical emergency and an additional Distinguished Service award for repeatedly filling gaps when the office was short-handed. Sgt. Sarah Gardner and Deputies Cayden Worcester and Tristan Harris were likewise honored for life-saving detention responses, spotlighting detention medical protocols and training as an area for county-level oversight and potential policy review.

Detective Lt. John Hargraves, Detective Allen Phelps, Detective Tomas Parker and Evidence Detective Garet Talley received Exemplary Service Awards for a multi-year homicide investigation that resulted in a grand jury indictment and an arrest in the 2022 death of a 5-year-old girl. That outcome underscores long-term investigative investment and the value of sustained casework for community accountability and closure.

The ceremony also recognized administrative improvements: Deputy Samantha Shaffer was honored for reorganizing administrative programs, a change that may affect records handling, civil process timelines and public access to law-enforcement services.

For Dolores County residents, these awards are more than ceremonial. They highlight where local agencies are concentrating effort and where intergovernmental coordination, staffing and funding decisions will matter most. The takeaway? Attend county budget and commission meetings, ask candidates and officials how they will support cross-jurisdictional drug enforcement, search and rescue capabilities and detention healthcare, and consider volunteering or supporting local SAR and emergency medical resources to bolster regional resilience. Our two cents? Stay engaged and demand clear plans for how sheriff’s offices will sustain these priorities across county lines.