The Mason County Board of Commissioners on Sept. 2 presented a Green Star Award to Detective Alfonso Mercado of the Mason County Sheriff's Office for his role in a multi-agency response to an animal-cruelty investigation. Commissioners read a letter from partners describing Detective Mercado’s bilingual interviewing skills and his assistance coordinating a large impound operation that removed hundreds of animals from a property. The letter credited him with quickly securing a team and organizing handling, containment and transport of animals during an emergency response. Commissioners praised the sheriff's office and recognized the detective’s contribution to the investigation and interagency cooperation.