ELKTON, Michigan — Elkton Police Officer Warren Kuhl has been honored with a plaque and lifesaving pin after local reports said he used an automated external defibrillator during a May 9 cardiac emergency at Ackerman Memorial Park.

The Huron Daily Tribune reported June 11 that Elkton Police recognized Kuhl after a man stopped breathing during a soccer game at the village park. The department’s public Facebook post, cited by the Tribune, said bystanders were already performing CPR when Kuhl arrived with the department’s AED.

AED shock after bystanders started CPR

According to the Huron County View, the incident happened around 7:30 p.m. during the opening night of a local soccer league. Kuhl told the paper he was about three blocks away at the police office when the call came in.

The View reported that two friends of Benjamin Brown, a 31-year-old from Caro, were already performing CPR when Kuhl arrived, and that another woman who identified herself as a nurse assisted at the scene.

Kuhl told the View that after the AED pads were applied, the device recommended a shock. He said the man began breathing on his own and showed signs of a pulse and color after the shock was delivered.

“It took everyone involved to save this young man’s life,” Elkton Police Chief Scott Jobes told the Huron Daily Tribune. “Spectators at the soccer game that did CPR until officer Kuhl arrived with the AED helped us greatly. Thanks to officer Kuhl for a job well done.”

Teamwork before the ambulance arrived

The Huron County View reported that Huron County EMS transported Brown to Scheurer Hospital and that Kuhl later learned Brown was alert and sitting up while being evaluated.

Kuhl, who retired from the Huron County Sheriff’s Office after 32 years and now works part time with Elkton Police and in Caseville Township, credited the bystanders and timing rather than himself, according to the View.

For Support Law Enforcement readers, the Elkton case is a practical reminder of how many life saves happen before a dramatic rescue video ever exists: fast bystander CPR, a nearby officer with an AED, and a small-town response chain that worked when minutes mattered.

Sources and attribution

Editorial note: ThinBlueNews limited medical details to what was publicly reported by the local sources. The featured image uses a real Elkton Police Department courtesy award photo as published by the Huron Daily Tribune; no AI-generated emergency or victim scene was used.