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Washington County presents commendation to deputy who pulled driver from burning vehicle
Summary
Sheriff presented a formal commendation for Deputy Anthony Rausch after he extricated an unresponsive driver from a crashed, smoking vehicle June 26, 2025, and moved the driver clear of flames before the car became fully engulfed.
Sheriff Schulteis presented a formal commendation to Deputy Anthony Rausch on a life‑saving rescue that occurred June 26, 2025, when the deputy pulled an unresponsive driver from a crashed vehicle that soon became engulfed in flames.
The sheriff read the commendation into the committee record, saying, “Whereas on 06/26/2025, deputy Rausch displayed outstanding courage, decisiveness, and professionalism in response to a life threatening emergency involving a reckless driver.” The sheriff’s account said multiple 911 calls reported a vehicle swerving on Interstate 41 near Sherman Road and that the vehicle later crashed off State Highway 144 near Cedar Hills Drive.
According to the sheriff’s description, Deputy Rausch located a heavily damaged car with deployed airbags and smoke coming from the engine compartment. He broke the driver’s side window, entered the vehicle alone, extricated the slumped, unresponsive driver (reported to weigh about 185 pounds), identified a faint pulse, then dragged the person roughly 10 yards away from the burning car. Bystanders and additional deputies later assisted and administered Narcan; the driver regained consciousness. The sheriff’s reading concluded that the driver later admitted to using fentanyl en route to court and was arrested for OWI, third offense.
Committee members praised Rausch’s actions. One committee member said Rausch “acted in a way that was professional from beginning to end,” and another thanked him for “respect for life” and composure during the incident. Deputy Rausch accepted the commendation and thanked the committee.
The committee did not record any formal motion or roll-call vote on the commendation in the transcript; the item was presented and discussed before the committee moved on to other agenda items.
Details recorded by the sheriff’s office at the committee meeting included the incident date (06/26/2025), an approximate time of the initial 911 calls (about 01:51 p.m.), the estimated driver weight (~185 pounds), and that the car became fully engulfed before fire crews extinguished it. The committee discussion was limited to praise and recognition; no policy changes or directions resulted from the presentation.
The presentation included edited body‑worn camera footage and post‑incident photographs of the vehicle interior that the sheriff said were restricted because they showed graphic images.
