Delaware County Dispatcher, Two Citizens Honored for Response to Armed Suspect in Hopkinton
A Delaware County dispatcher and two citizens were honored for their response following the discovery of an armed suspect in Hopkinton last fall.
Lead Dispatcher Jessica Kelly has been awarded the Delaware County Medal of Merit, while Hopkinton residents Scott Fjelstul and Nick Bossard have been honored with the Delaware County Citizen Recognition Award.
On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, the Delaware County Communications Center became aware of a shooting near Fareway in Monticello. Kelly was the only dispatcher on duty that day. She received information that the suspect’s vehicle was armed and in the Hopkinton area, with Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Menard arriving on scene and radioing in “shots fired”. Moments later, she found out Deputy Menard discharged his weapon in an attempt to take the suspect into custody after he failed to comply with Deputy Menard’s directions. Kelly handled all the incoming information and radio traffic from officers from six different agencies and Emergency Medical Services single-handedly.
Kelly says in her seventeen years as a dispatcher, she’s never had a call quite like that one.
Manchester Police Chief Jim Hauschild, who nominated Kelly for the Medal of Merit, says she handled the entire situation with professionalism, calmness and control.
Kelly says she was just doing her job.
Two Hopkinton residents who helped lead authorities to the suspect have also been honored. On the morning of the Monticello shooting, Scott Fjelstul and Nick Bossard noticed a suspicious vehicle in Hopkinton, so Bossard says they decided to check it out.
Fjelstul says they didn’t really realize it was the suspect from the Monticello shooting until shots were fired.
Delaware County Emergency Management says without the support of our local citizens, law enforcement is at a distinct disadvantage – and without information from these citizens, more lives would have been in danger. This incident highlights the importance of “See Something, Say Something”. To honor their contributions that day, the County has presented Fjelstul and Bossard with the Delaware County Citizen Recognition Award. Both men feel like they just did what any citizen should do.
The awards were presented at the Delaware County Courthouse on Monday afternoon. Deputy Menard, who was recently honored with Delaware County’s Medal of Valor, was among those attending to show Kelly, Bossard and Fjelstul his appreciation (pictured above).
photos courtesy of Janelle Tucker/KMCH
