Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 11, 1993 TAG: 9308110064
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
But not always. "It keeps you right busy at times," said Fisher. "When it breaks, it breaks."
One of those exceptional nights occurred earlier this year. A full moon illuminated Feb. 8, a cold early Monday morning that marked the end of the weekend and the beginning of a new work week.
Fisher had every reason to expect an uneventful shift. But by daybreak, he had saved a fellow officer from being shot.
For that act, Fisher will be honored next week by Virginia police chiefs. He is one of 14 officers to receive the Award for Valor, an annual recognition of law enforcement officers who have placed their lives on the line.
Also to be honored will be Pulaski Police Officer J.W. Gregory, one of five to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement award.
Gregory was recognized for his quick work in helping to save the life of a girl injured in an automobile accident last year.
Around 5 a.m. on Feb. 8, Fisher was called to a house in Pearisburg to serve commitment papers on a man who earlier had threatened suicide.
Once inside, Fisher and two assisting officers were warned by a relative that the man was in a bedroom and possibly armed with a handgun.
Fisher and Narrows Police Officer Scott Craig entered the bedroom, switched the light and saw the man lying in bed next to an empty holster.
As Craig shouted a warning, 46-year-old Roger L. Munsey allegedly lifted a loaded revolver from beneath the bed sheets and pointed it at Craig.
Fisher lunged and grabbed the gun with his thumb between the hammer and the strike plate. Munsey is accused of repeatedly pulling the gun's trigger, but Fisher's hand kept the weapon from firing.
"I just reacted," Fisher said, adding that the gun's hammer cut a gash in his hand that required eight stitches to close.
"It happened so fast that I didn't have time to think. Until I got in the car after it was all over - then it hit me," he said.
"Roger's quick action saved Scott Craig from serious injury," said James Hartley, Giles County's commonwealth's attorney.
Munsey was arrested and charged with four felonies, two of attempting to wound Fisher and Craig, and two related firearm counts.
A trial date has not been set.
Fisher, 46, said he's had some anxious moments during his 25-year career in police work. "But this was the closest call I ever had. It was real close."
Gregory's citation, given to citizens and officers for conspicuous acts above and beyond duty, involves an early morning wreck Sept. 5 that killed the driver and injured a passenger.
At the accident scene on U.S. 11 near Pulaski, Gregory found a 1992 Chevrolet that had overturned after running up an embankment and striking a tree.
After calling for rescue units, Gregory crawled into the wreckage and found it was too late to do anything for the driver.
Moving to the passenger side, he found Heather Dawn Moore still alive but apparently choking on her own blood from internal injuries. She was later found to have suffered chest, head and leg injuries.
Gregory moved her head from its cramped position to ease her breathing.
Sgt. R.J. VonUchtrup said he thought Gregory's assistance helped the girl survive until rescue units arrived.
Gregory directed emergency vehicles into position and, after gathering information about the accident, went to Pulaski Community Hospital to comfort the grieving families, VonUchtrup said.
The officers will receive their awards Tuesday at the Virginia Association of Chief of Police's conference banquet in Roanoke.
State Trooper Jose M. Cavazos, who was shot and killed earlier this year during a traffic stop along Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia, will be among 14, including Fisher, to receive the Award of Valor.
Staff writer Paul Dellinger contributed information to this story.
by CNB