Policeman honored for bravery

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Somerset Police Lt. William Hunt, center, was recognized as an outstanding officer by the local POW-MIA Committee this week. At left is Assistant Police Chief Doug Nelson. Gene Palmer, of the POW-MIA Committee, is at right. Tricia Neal photo

November 15, 2007

William Hunt presented award

By TRICIA NEAL, CJ Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Thu Nov 15, 2007, 08:18 AM EST

Somerset Police Lt. William Hunt thought his shift was over when he arrived home one morning last March.

After performing his duties as a police officer overnight, he came home ready to relax with his daughter and eventually get some sleep.

Then his mother-in-law, who had come to help baby-sit, alerted him to a potential problem.

“She said, ‘I think there’s a house on fire around here somewhere. You better go check,’” Hunt recalled.

Police officers aren’t trained to fight fires, but Hunt — wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and house shoes — immediately sprang into action.

He quickly discovered that the house which was burning was located next door, where his elderly neighbor, 98-year-old James Overby, lived alone.

Hunt followed the smoke to the back of the house, and called 911 as he ran toward his neighbor’s residence.

As he was describing the severity of the fire to dispatchers, he noticed Mr. Overby lying near the house.

“When I saw him, I threw the phone down and rushed over to him,” he said.

Overby was unconscious, and Lt. Hunt didn’t know whether he could be revived — but he was determined not to let the man sustain any further injuries.

“In my mind, I was thinking that no person needs to burn,” he said.

Hunt recalls that there was “a lot of smoke,” and that the flames were shooting up from the first floor of the house to the second floor.

“I tried to get him away from it,” he said.

“I was trying to pull him back, but the heat was so hot ... I collapsed and fell backward. ... Then I tried to use my shirt to shield the heat, and I stayed low to the ground.”

Lt. Hunt would be overcome by the heat and smoke several times before he was successful in pulling Overby’s body away from the growing blaze.

“Then I heard the sirens, and I could tell they were close,” he said.

Unfortunately, Mr. Overby could not be revived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hunt was treated for smoke inhalation, but sustained no other injuries.

He didn’t attempt to be a hero on that day. In fact, he didn’t grant any media interviews in the days following the fire.

But his modest, instinctive efforts to help his neighbor led the the local POW-MIA Committee to select Hunt as the Somerset Police Department’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.

Hunt accepted the award on behalf of the entire SPD.

“On that day, I was in a place and time where I did something I believe every person would have done. ... I would like to believe it’s in the nature of any police officer, whether they’re trained (in firefighting) or not, to do what I did,” he said.

“It’s our job to help people. That’s what we’re here for.”

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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