Officers rewarded for taking swift action

Moultrie News | August 20, 2026

A concerted effort by members of the Mount Pleasant Police Department and Mount Pleasant Fire Department to save the life of a sinking driver on May 30 was recently recognized by the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce.

During the Chamber's Aug. 20 luncheon, the eight individuals were presented with a First Responder of the Month Award, with MPPD Lt. Don Calabrese accepting the the handsome crystal trophy.

Calabrese recounted both departments responding to the call of a resident trapped in a vehicle at the Meridian Condos. Sgt. Connor Byrne, he detailed, was the first to arrive at the chaotic scene, where he coordinated with other first responders. "His direction really made a difference," said Calabrese.

Byrne proceeded to jump in the pond, break the car window and cut the seat belt. PFC Nicolas Jobst literally performed much of the heavy lifting by holding up the car to prevent it from sinking.

Mount Pleasant Fire Department Deputy Chief of Operations Les Bowick described the coordinated effort as an incident "with a remarkable outcome." Borwick read a statement from MPFD Chief Mike Mixon Jr., who lauded Rescue Unit 504 for springing into action to not only save the driver's life, but also preventing the other first responders from drowning as well.

The honorees were: Sgt. Connor Byrne, Sgt. Brad Strode and Cpl. Tray Mathewes of the MPPD, along with Capt. Steve Bradley, Firefighter Brent Warn, Firefighter Rashawn Washington and Firefighter Austin Marko of the MPFD.

The First Responder Award is sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners.