Modesto-area CHP officers to receive state honor Thursday

Modesto Area CHP Officers To Receive The Attorney General’s Certificate Of Commendation For Superior Effort

Two Modesto-area CHP officers, Aaron Keller and Cynthia White, on Thursday will receive the Attorney General’s Certificate of Commendation for Superior Effort, for helping prevent a suicide last month. The awards ceremony will take place at the Veteran’s Memorial District in Clovis.

On April 1, a distraught woman walked onto the Carpenter Road Bridge in Modesto with the intent of jumping, according to a news release from the California Highway Patrol. The bridge is 60 feet above the Tuolumne River.

Keller and White arrived on scene and engaged the woman in calming conversation. The officers were able to divert her attention long enough to intervene and remove her safely from danger.

White and Keller demonstrated exceptional courage and decisiveness, which ultimately saved the subject from serious injury or death, the CHP release notes.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Modesto-area CHP officers to receive state honor Thursday."