Deputy Nathaniel Slone of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office received an Excellence in Service Award from the Greene County Consortium on Domestic and Sexual Violence. Also pictured are Chief Deputy Doug Doherty, Prosecuting Attorney David Hayes, and Xenia Police Division Detective Cody Fout, who handles domestic violence cases.
XENIA — Two police officers and a sheriff’s deputy were honored for their work by the Greene County Consortium on Domestic and Sexual Violence on Wednesday.
Beavercreek police officer Kathleen Gee, Cedarville police officer Cody Smith, and deputy Nathaniel Slone received Excellence in Service Awards from the consortium, which includes Violence Free Futures, the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
Each were nominated because of how they handled domestic violence cases.
“Domestic violence and sexual violence present unique challenges to law enforcement,” Greene County Prosecuting Attorney David Hayes said, adding that responding officers have to be passionate and empathetic to victims but also have a job to do.
He called the efforts “remarkable work.”
On July 5, Slone was dispatched after a 911 caller said a male was kicking a female in a parking lot, attempting to take her baby. The suspect later kicked the door of the residence the victim fled to. Slone took the suspect into custody and then crawled through a window (the front door was broken and could not open) and proceeded to tend to two young children and the victim.
After interviewing witnesses and taking the suspect to jail, Slone went to Soin hospital and remained patient as the victim was still upset. He did his follow-ups and was “essential to the case.”
Slone was lauded for his quick response, his patience, compassion, and concern.
In May, Smith was called to a home after a concerned neighbor heard a young girl screaming for help. Upon arrival, the girl’s father said he was disciplining the child by making her run laps for various intervals in the backyard. After the father admitted to also hitting the girl on her leg, Smith spoke privately with the 10-year-old and determined she was the victim abuse.
Smith discovered that the father had been hitting the girl, shoving her head into a clothing rack, and holding her nose and mouth shut as well. He went out of his way to protect the child while he arrested the father, according to information presented at the awards luncheon.
“I am putting an end to you getting hurt,” Smith told the girl. “You do not deserve that.”
Smith was cited for taking the extra time to dig deeper and for his genuine concern for the child.
Gee was nominated for her actions when responding to a call on Feb. 7, when a juvenile advised that her mother was in a physical altercation with her boyfriend. Both were intoxicated and the woman had visible injuries, leading Gee to determine that the male was the aggressor.
She discovered that the boyfriend had been taken into jail after three previous domestic violence convictions.
Gee’s response and ability to diffuse the situation — as well as her seven-year career of consistently displaying compassion and professionalism, and her ability to dissect a scene and investigate while still showing empathy toward the victims — led to her nomination.
Reach Scott Halasz at 937-502-4507.
