A Marshall County Sheriff’s Deputy has been recognized for his service when he pulled a suspect from a burning vehicle this summer.
According to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Luke Rudd was awarded with the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association Medal of Valor Thursday at the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association Conference in Bowling Green. Rudd, who has been with MCSD as a deputy for about two years, was bestowed the medal during last night’s banquet.
Marshall County Sheriff Kevin Byars, who nominated him for the honor, said he felt like it was important that Rudd get the recognition he deserved.
“Luke is a relatively new officer, and I felt it was important that he get the recognition for going above and beyond,” Byars said. “To be quite honest with you, the guy was quite a bit larger than him; didn’t matter, he went in, got the guy, pulled him out and that’s what we’re supposed to do. … He did go above and beyond in my opinion, and probably saved the gentleman’s life.”
The award stems from an incident in early June, when Rudd was working the scene of another accident on Highway 68 near Palma. While working the accident, a car driven by Samuel Overby, 30, of Benton, sped past. Rudd got in his own cruiser and pursued the driver; during the chase Overby’s car left the road, hit a ditch and rolled twice before it struck a tree.
Overby was trapped inside when the vehicle caught fire. Rudd broke out the back glass of the passenger car, climbed through the rear and cut Overby’s seatbelt, pulling him free from the wreckage as the fire spread into the car. Rudd suffered minor injuries in the incident.
“I don’t want to say it was terrifying, because I don’t remember how I felt,” Rudd said. “… I remember everything, but I don’t remember anything. I can tell you exactly what happened, exactly what I did, I just can’t tell you how I did it. There was no emotion … I wasn’t terrified, scared, nothing like that. It was more of a, ‘I gotta do what I gotta do,’ at this point. I didn’t really have time to think about emotions at this point.”
Rudd has since been the focus of media attention across the state and earned honors in the process. He was awarded the Woodmen of the World Life Saver award in August for his actions. Rudd was the first Marshall County deputy since Byars has been in office to receive the honor, Byars said.
For Rudd, however, it was all in the line of duty. He said previously his training had equipped him well but it wasn’t something for which one could ever truly prepare.
“That situation is not something you can really train for,” he said. “… You have all the tools necessary to get the job done when you get there, but it’s not something — every wreck is different — it’s not something you can sit down and play that situation out. And that situation, hopefully, never happens again.”
Rudd served as a 911 dispatcher for two years before his time as a deputy, Rudd said during a previous interview. He entered the academy after that time and went straight to MCSD. While he said it hadn’t always been his ambition to be in law enforcement, he wouldn’t trade his job for the world.
“I was working at Regional Medical at the time … in Draffenville; I was working in the office and knew that was not what I wanted to do,” Rudd said. “So I just started weighing the options of what I wanted to do, and I knew that a bunch of school was not an option. So, this is what I stumbled upon, and I was like, ‘I think I can do that.’
“I wouldn’t trade the job for nothing,” Rudd added.