Recently, two officers from the Suffolk County House of Correction received special recognition by the Maine State Police at their annual awards ceremony in Augusta.

Officers Alejandro Aguilar and Brian Solomini of the Suffolk County House of Correction were given awards for Meritorious Service stemming from their selfless acts of bravery during a motor vehicle accident on the Maine highway last August.

Officers Aguilar and Solomini, along with fellow officers Daniel Raymond and Richard Rondeau, were returning from an inmate transportation detail on the Maine highway when they observed a car strike another vehicle before ricocheting off of the guardrail and coming to a stop inside a roadside ditch.

Risking their personal safety, officers Solomini and Aguilar raced across lanes of traffic to tend to the accident victim while officers Raymond and Rondeau comforted the driver of the car that had been struck. While the occupant of the second vehicle was startled but not injured, the driver of the first car was found to be unconscious and unresponsive.

Officers Aguilar and Solomini administered CPR to the driver until an Emergency Medical Service team arrived at the scene. Later, it was learned that the man had suffered sudden cardiac arrest at the scene. Had it not been for the officers, one State Trooper said at the time, the man might not be alive today.

Representing the Maine State Police at the May 16th ceremony, which also recognized several law enforcement officers from Maine and New Hampshire for their ability to rise above and beyond the call of duty, spokesman Steve McCausland commended the officers for their actions.

“We’re pleased to be honoring the officers from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department among our officers,” said McCausland. “This event is the highlight of our year, and all of the officers honored here today have much to be proud of.”

This marks the second time that the officers have been recognized for their heroic actions.

Following the incident on August 9th, 2007, the four Department officers were presented with letters of commendation on behalf of the Sheriff’s Department by Superintendent Gerard Horgan, who stated, “You made the entire Sheriff’s Department proud by being the epitome of what good Correction Officers are – professional, brave, intelligent, and selfless.”

return to Press Release index

:: top of page ::