CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. — A Chaffee County sheriff’s deputy known for high-mountain rescue work and tactical medical service has received the inaugural Hometown Hero Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Deputy Donnie Smith of the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office was recognized May 12 by U.S. Attorney Peter McNeilly and Sheriff Andy Rohrich. The office said the award was created as part of the Department of Justice’s recognition of law enforcement service around America’s 250th birthday. According to the federal release, Smith has worked in law enforcement since 2021 and was honored for service that includes two difficult mountain rescues as well as broader public-safety work. Rescues on Mount Yale and La Plata Peak The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Smith helped rescue a woman in November 2022 after she fell roughly 500 feet down a large ice field on Mount Yale. The release said Smith was flown to the apex above the woman, tended to her injuries and stayed with her until daylight, when she could be airlifted to a hospital. Officials credited Smith’s actions with saving the woman’s life and helping save her … [Read more...] about Chaffee County Deputy Honored for Mountain Rescues and Hometown Hero Service