WPSO Sgt. John O’Hern receives Bob Buckley Award at LSA Convention

Source: Press Release from the Washington Parish Sheriff's Office

Last week, Washington Parish Deputy Sheriff Sgt. John O’Hern was presented with the Bob Buckley
Award by the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association during their annual conference in Destin, Florida.

Each year, the Bob Buckley Award is presented to Louisiana Deputies for critical injury or death that occurs in the line of duty. Last May, Sgt. O’Hern was severely wounded after being hit head-on by an impaired driver who he was attempting to locate.

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After receiving a call from a concerned motorist stating that an impaired driver was speeding toward the town of Franklinton from Folsom, Sgt. O’Hern jumped into action and headed south on LA-25 to intercept the vehicle before he caused serious harm to himself or other drivers.

The impaired driver crossed the center line and struck Sgt. O’Hern head-on at a high rate of speed, mangling his vehicle. In what can only be described as a miracle, both Sgt. O’Hern and the impaired driver survived the accident, but not without injury.

Sgt. O’Hern suffered from a shattered pelvis, busted knees, shaved femur, and bruises across most of his body. The impact completely destroyed the Tahoe he was driving, and he hit the steering wheel so hard that it was bent backward from the force. He was in the hospital for approximately ten days, undergoing multiple surgeries to reconstruct his pelvic socket. The high-risk surgeries were a success, and within days, John was able to begin physical therapy and his long road to recovery.

A year later, Sgt. O’Hern is finally walking without a cane and has fully returned to his duties as a Deputy Sheriff of Washington Parish, where he serves as a victims advocate and investigator of crimes against children and sexual abuse. He recently took the initiative to head up a strenuous grant application that would bring a modern Digital Forensics Lab to the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office, vastly improving our ability to bring swift justice in heinous crimes that involve digital evidence.

Thank you to the Louisiana Sheriff’s Association for recognizing the sacrifices and courage of Sgt. O’Hern, and we are honored to call him one of our own.

From left to right in first picture: LSA Director Kevin Cobb, Sgt. John O’Hern, Sheriff Jason Smith, and LSA Deputy Executive Director Gary Bennet.