AMHERST COUNTY, Virginia — Four sheriff’s deputies received lifesaving medals Wednesday after their responses to three separate emergencies helped keep three people alive, according to a local report from the recognition ceremony.
Amherst County Sheriff Jimmy Ayers honored Deputies Matthew Minnick, Hayden Shelbe and Chase Lawhorne and Sergeant Brian Anderson during the Aug. 5 ceremony.
“Their eyes see, and their hands touch what humans should never have to do in a lifetime,” Ayers said, according to WSET’s report.
Three emergencies, four lifesaving medals
Minnick and Shelbe were recognized for helping save a motorcyclist after a serious crash the previous August. WSET’s ceremony report did not publish additional details about that person or the deputies’ specific interventions, so ThinBlueNews is not adding facts beyond the public account.
Lawhorne received a medal for rushing to help a man who had been shot in January. The local report likewise kept that account brief and did not identify the person.
Anderson was honored for his response when 12-year-old Liam Foster suffered severe cuts to his arm after accidentally pushing through a glass door at home in June. ThinBlueNews is omitting graphic injury details and using only the child’s name, age and recovery context that his family made public.
Tourniquet slows dangerous bleeding
Anderson told WSET he was taking a lunch break at his nearby home when the call came in. He immediately returned to his patrol vehicle and drove to the scene.
Liam’s mother, Cassie Foster, said Anderson arrived with his first-aid kit, assessed the injury and correctly applied a tourniquet. The bleeding slowed.
Foster said doctors later told the family that Anderson’s intervention saved her son’s life by reducing the risk of life-threatening blood loss. Liam underwent major surgery and was later photographed standing with Anderson.
“My family remains whole because of his actions,” Foster told WSET.
Anderson said deputies in the rural county often reach emergency scenes before EMS, making continued medical training critical. The recognition highlights how patrol first-aid skills can bridge the minutes before paramedics arrive.
Readers can find more verified recognition and lifesaving coverage in ThinBlueNews’ police hero stories, first responder news and positive police news sections.
Source and visual attribution
- WSET — “Amherst County sheriff honors four deputies for quick actions that saved 3 lives,” published Aug. 5, 2026. Local reporting from the recognition ceremony, including the sheriff’s remarks, all four honorees’ names, the three response summaries, direct interviews with Sergeant Anderson and Cassie Foster, and the authentic photographs used in the featured editorial collage.
Visual note: The featured image uses three authentic photographs published with WSET’s report. Allison Mullet/WSET made the ceremony images; Cassie Foster supplied the post-emergency photograph of Liam with Sergeant Anderson. ThinBlueNews uses them here for limited source-attributed editorial reporting, claims no ownership, and did not generate or reenact any person, injury or rescue scene.
If an agency representative, responder, family member or reader sees anything that should be corrected or updated, please contact ThinBlueNews through our corrections and editorial standards page.