OWENS CROSS ROADS, Ala. — Police officers, firefighters and volunteer rescuers in Owens Cross Roads have been honored for the coordinated response that brought a group of teenagers stranded on a Flint River island safely back to shore.
State Rep. Richie Whorton presented the Owens Cross Roads Police Department and Owens Cross Roads Fire/Rescue with an Alabama House of Representatives proclamation during a City Council meeting Tuesday evening, according to WHNT’s July 16 report. The recognition followed a rescue carried out in June.
Teenagers stranded after rafting the Flint River
The teenagers became stranded on an island after rafting down the Flint River, the local report said. Owens Cross Roads police identified Officer Jeff Graves, Reserve Officer Aaron Sumner, K-9 Raven and Officer Matt Elliff among the police personnel who responded to help the fire-rescue operation.
Graves and Elliff stayed on the east side of the river, working with incident command and serving as contacts for the teenagers’ parents. Sumner, who also volunteers with the department, traveled to the western bank to search for the group.
Responders use fallen tree to reach safety
On the west side, Sumner joined Paul Crawford of the Big Cove Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad and Owens Cross Roads Fire/Rescue firefighter Jordan Townsend. The three moved through high weeds to reach the riverbank.
Police said Townsend found a fallen tree spanning part of the river. The rescuers used that natural crossing point to guide the stranded teenagers across the log and safely to shore, WHNT reported.
The public account did not report serious injuries. ThinBlueNews is keeping the teenagers unidentified and is not adding medical or incident details beyond those released publicly.
A team effort recognized by the state
The proclamation honored the responders’ teamwork and quick action. The operation required personnel on opposite sides of the river to divide responsibilities: locating a viable route to the teenagers, coordinating the response and keeping families informed while the rescue team worked through difficult terrain.
The outcome also reflects the wider first-responder network serving smaller communities. Municipal police and fire personnel worked alongside a reserve officer and a neighboring volunteer rescue-squad member, combining local knowledge and practical problem-solving to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.
Sources and image attribution
- WHNT: “Owens Cross Roads first responders honored for Flint River rescue involving teenagers,” published July 16, 2026. The report attributes the operational details to the Owens Cross Roads Police Department.
- AOL-hosted WHNT syndication copy, reviewed when the canonical WHNT page presented an automated-access challenge.
Featured-image note: The real ceremony photograph was distributed with WHNT’s report, which did not list a separate photo credit in the version reviewed. ThinBlueNews added a factual headline panel and source label. It is not synthetic imagery and is not represented as a photograph of the river rescue itself.
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