Two sheriff sergeants presented with Law Enforcement Purple Hearts after being shot in line of duty
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BLACKFOOT — Two local sergeants are being recognized with special law enforcement awards for their bravery after being shot in the line of duty.
Patrol Sgt. Todd Howell and Detective Sgt. Chad Kent with the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office were both presented with a Law Enforcement Purple Heart and ribbon last week. They additionally received a plaque of recognition that was signed by the national president of the American Police Hall of Fame.
“Historically, we haven’t given any awards like that, and that’s something I wanted to change. I think it’s important that we recognize our employees,” Bingham County Sheriff Jeff Gardner said. “They were faced with life and death, and they had severe injuries that are going to affect them for the rest of their lives. They paid that sacrifice in the line of duty.”
Howell has been with the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office for 22 years. He said he was shot in the line of duty on Sept. 21, 2018.
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Howell was one of three deputies who responded to a call in Firth that someone was driving down the road shooting a gun out of the window. Juan Santos-Quintero was inside the vehicle. Deputies responded to a residence at 725 North 600 East, where Santos-Quintero was located.
“As I was moving from the side of the house to a metal shed, he shot me. It went through my left side, through both my kidneys and my spine, and lodged in my abdominal wall,” Howell recalls.
At first, he didn’t even know he was shot.
“I thought it hit my vest and bounced off and just knocked the wind out of me. I thought that when I fell down on the ground, I hit something that was lying on the ground,” Howell said.
Howell told EastIdahoNews.com he was surprised to receive a Law Enforcement Purple Heart for the incident but said it was such a great honor.
“It means the world to me. I love our community, and I love what I do. I am not one to take recognition or anything. I am just doing my job, but it means the world that we are recognized that way,” he said.
As for Santos-Quintero, he was sentenced in 2019 and was given a minimum of 27 years in prison with a possible maximum of life in prison. Click here for the story.
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Kent was shot on Aug. 4, 2021. He has been working with the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office for 12 and a half years.
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A man called 911 around 7:50 a.m. on Aug. 4, saying a silver 2001 Chevy Impala ran a stop sign and crashed into his pickup truck in Blackfoot. The car kept going after the crash. Terrance Knight was behind the wheel, according to a report.
A Blackfoot Police Department detective found the car and tried to perform a traffic stop. Knight continued to drive on and crashed into a camper parked in an alley. Knight and the two passengers in his car exited the vehicle and ran in different directions.
“Myself and (another detective) located the individual running south on Shilling and attempted to make contact with him, and he took off running. I chased him back through a yard and lost where he was at,” Kent said.
He explained Knight came back around and was covered in some trees and bushes. Kent waited a minute to get a good view to ensure it was still the same person. When he noticed it was Knight, Kent started to give commands.
“He already had a gun in his hands and fired one shot and hit me in the right forearm. It cut one of the arteries and one of the nerves in my hand, causing me to drop the gun in my hand, and he shot about three more times at me before he took his own life,” Kent said.
The other two people that were in the vehicle with Knight were not charged in connection to the events.
To this day, Kent still has no feeling in the palm of his hand. He’s had to switch hands to become a left-hand shooter.
“I am grateful to be alive. It could have been a lot worse,” he said.
He, too, felt very honored to receive a Law Enforcement Purple Heart.
“It was humbling and emotional…grateful,” Kent said tearfully. “I’m grateful to serve the community. The support and everything that came out after the shooting was amazing.”
Both Howell and Kent told EastIdahoNews.com that after the events, it didn’t deter them from getting back to work because they love to serve and protect their community.
Gardner said he is proud to work with both Howell and Kent and that it was important to recognize their bravery and sacrifice.
“It’s an honor for me to even serve with them and wear the same badge as they wear,” Gardner said.