City Council honors Brownfield police officers

The Brownfield City Council met on Thursday morning without Major Tom Hesse and council member Eric Horton. Mayor Pro-Tem Judy Besler led the meeting when a quorum was established. The council began with presentations to three Brownfield Police Officers for their quick response in saving the lives of individuals in two separate scenarios. Following the presentations Police Chief Tony Serbantez gave the council the quarterly report, annual report, and racial profile report. The council heard from Judge Kenneth Cole on the “warrant resolution week” proclamation and received a quarterly report from the code enforcement officer. The council went into an executive session but took no action upon returning to open session. “We had two separate events and we will start with the first one,” said City Manager Jeff Davis. “The first one occurred on a beautiful afternoon day on December 16, 2021. A mother and her daughter were driving through Brownfield and stopped by Gilliam Pond to relieve the family dog. What happened next was unexpected. The mother had pulled over near the pond and got out of the vehicle, closing her door, and attempted to open the rear door to get the dog out. The mother noticed the vehicle was not in park properly, the doors had locked her out, and prevented her from re-entering the pickup. The pickup rolled into the pond as the mother helplessly tried to open the door to the pickup. Brownfield citizen Rachel Horton drove by to assist and called 911. Officers were dispatched to a call of a vehicle in Gilliam Pond with a special needs child inside. Officers Sargent Matthew Valdonado, Corporal Derek Calderon, and Patrolman Gerraredo “Gerry” Arranaga immediately responded. Upon arriving officers saw a female in the water by vehicle. The female frantically told officers her daughter was trapped inside the pickup. Officers noticed the child in the front passenger seat and the dog in the backseat of the pickup. Officers assisted the mother to the shore to ensure her safety and returned to their rescue effort. Officers noticed the vehicle begin to slip into a deeper part of the pond and it became more urgent to rescue the child as the cab of the pickup was getting close to being submerged underwater. Officers were able to get the child out of the water and swim back to the shore with her. Once the officers returned the mother and child on shore to the other first responders on the scene, Officer Calderon returned to the submerged vehicle and broke a window nearest to the dog. He grabbed the dog and swam back to shore. There is no doubt that this could have turned into a tragic event if it had not been for these three officers responding without hesitation. We are extremely proud of their effort in rescuing the family.