Seven Vernon Township officers cited for outstanding police work

vernon-The Township Council and Chief Roy Wherery Monday honored seven policemen for outstanding work during the past year. Five officers received exceptional duty medals, while two were cited for saving a pregnant woman's life. The life-saving medals were awarded to patrolmen Scott Waleck and James Higgins. In February, they were called to Mountain Creek's South Lodge, where, according to their citations, a "woman who was five months pregnant was unconscious and not breathing." The officers performed rescue breathing and insured the woman had a clear airway while waiting for an EMS crew to arrive. "The woman survived and has made a complete recovery," the citation said. Four officers were involved in the arrest of Alan Casey III, a.k.a. "Big Red," who, under questioning by detectives, confessed to six bank robberies in New York and New Jersey. The case unfolded last Feb. 6, when Detective Sgt. Moran recognized a suspect wanted in connection with a bank robbery in Passaic County from an E-mail and photograph forwarded to the department by the Sussex County Prosecutor. On checking with Vernon Township Municipal Court, Moran learned that Casey, a Vernon resident, had an active local warrant for his arrest. Detectives Brian Jernick, Sean Talt and Thomas Zabriskie, according to the citation, "knew that the suspect. . .was in the Lafayette area." The detectives tracked him down and arrested him on Feb. 9 on the Vernon warrant. "After questioning by the detectives, Alan Casey III . . . confessed to robbing six banks, two in Middletown, N.Y., one in the Town of Wallkill, N.Y., one in Port Jervis, N.Y., one in Hawthorne, N.J. and one in Wayne," the citation continued.