Under the lights of Montezuma-Cortez High School’s Ralph Vavak Theater on Friday night, about 100 community members gathered as Sheriff Steve Nowlin honored 13 people with the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office 2025 awards.
This year’s 13 honorees marked the biggest group in the history of the sheriff’s awards.
Before presenting the awards, Nowlin explained the oath of office that deputies take upon entering the Sheriff’s Office.
“Only those with the most impeccable character are chosen to bear the responsibility of protecting democracy,” Nowlin said. “That’s why our motto is ‘Guardian heart, warrior spirit.’”
Nowlin praised the deputies again, sharing how the oath inspires deputies, even on difficult days.
“On some of those days, you may ask yourself, ‘Is it worth it?’ Some may consider leaving for less stressful, better-paying jobs,” Nowlin said. “On those days, I encourage them to reread the oath posted on the Sheriff’s Office wall. This is not simply a job or career. It is a calling to serve.”
The first awards went to three Montezuma County Detention Center kitchen deputies – Jeremy Strong, Darla French and Jennifer Chadwick – who were not present Friday.
Nowlin then honored Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Jacqueline Scott with the Distinguished Service Recognition award. Scott has been an “integral” part of the Montezuma/Cortez Narcotics Investigation Team since 2022, working to keep Colorado and Montezuma County safe from illegal drugs.
“During her service as a DEA special agent attached to the Grand Junction office, Special Agent Jacqueline Scott took it upon herself to provide her expertise and valuable assistance to the Montezuma/Cortez Narcotics Investigation Team,” Nowlin said.
Scott was also part of two of the largest narcotics investigations in the county’s history.
Deputy Kaylee Green received the Distinguished Service award as the 2025 Traffic Enforcement Deputy of the Year with 95 citations issued.
Green also earned the award for her efforts to save an “unconscious and unresponsive” hunter near Grindstone Trail.
Green was the first to arrive at the trailhead and hiked three miles to locate the injured hunter and his partner. A tree, estimated at 18 inches in diameter, had fallen on the hunter.
Green assisted the Rico Fire Department and helped locate a safe landing zone for the medical helicopter. When no safe landing spots were found near the injured hunter, Green developed a plan to transport the hunter to Colorado Highway 145, where she shut down traffic and prepared a landing zone on the highway.
Next, Deputy Kyler Rogers and Deputy Peter Schmalz received the Distinguished Service award.
On Dec. 15, Rogers and Schmalz responded to a call for help from a child. Upon arriving, they found a family trying to flee from an intoxicated father who had allegedly assaulted, threatened and harassed them.
After arresting the father, the deputies learned he had bought electric cars for the children for Christmas, but they wouldn’t be assembled in time.
“Deputy Peter Schmalz and Deputy Kyler Rogers went above and beyond, volunteering their own time to assist the children’s mother in assembling these toys, ensuring the children would still have a special Christmas,” Nowlin said.
The Life Saving award was then presented to Sgt. Sarah Gardner and Deputies Cayden Worcester, Justin Lewis and Tristan Harris.
Nowlin said that on March 29, 2025, an inmate fell and hit his head during a seizure, causing a “significant” head injury.
After the inmate was treated at the hospital and returned to the Montezuma County Detention Center, he had another seizure and was transported back to Southwest Memorial Hospital.
“This inmate survived,” Nowlin said. “The quick actions taken were undoubtedly instrumental in saving a life.”
Lewis then received another award, the Distinguished Service award.
Nowlin praised Lewis’s commitment to the Sheriff’s Office, noting that he would come in every time the office was short-handed, even returning from a trip to Grand Junction to help.
Deputy Samantha Shaffer was honored for her work as the office’s civil administration assistant.
“She quickly learned her duties and has seamlessly integrated into the position,” Nowlin said. “Samantha Shaffer has a positive attitude noticed by all and has been instrumental in reorganizing many administrative programs. She is always willing to assist others, take extra tasks and provide sound ideas for improving the administrative assistant position.”
Rogers was the 2025 Top DUI Arrest Deputy of the Year, with 17 DUI arrests. Nowlin said more intoxicated drivers were removed from the roads in 2025 than ever before.
For the final award, Detective Lt. John Hargraves, former detective and current patrol deputy Allen Phelps, Detective Tomas Parker and Evidence Detective Garet Talley received the Exemplary Service Award for their investigation into the death of a 5-year-old girl in 2022.
On March 29, 2022, deputies were called to a home on Road 20 for an unconscious and unresponsive child. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
After Hargraves, Phelps, Parker and Talley collected evidence and investigated the girl’s death, the case was presented to a grand jury, resulting in the arrest of the child’s mother on suspicion of first-degree murder on Aug. 22, 2025.
The woman’s jury trial has not yet been held.
“Detective Lt. John Hargraves, Detective Allen Phelps, Detective Tomas Parker and Evidence Detective Garet Talley’s professional dedication to the citizens of Montezuma County during this investigation by attaining justice for the unspoken voice of an innocent 5-year-old girl have demonstrated the mission and core values of the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office by being an example of our commitment to our community and the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office. Guardian heart, warrior spirit,” Nowlin said.
In closing, Nowlin thanked attendees and the members of the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office for their dedication to protecting the community.
“They are truly above and beyond, as well as each and every one of the members of our sheriff’s office who work hard and diligently every single shift,” Nowlin said.
