Washington County honors deputy for life‑saving rescue after crash and vehicle fire

Washington County presented a formal commendation June 26 to Deputy Anthony Rausch for removing an unresponsive driver from a crashed vehicle that caught fire after reports of a reckless driver on Interstate 41.

Sheriff Schulteis read the commendation at the Public Safety Committee meeting, saying Deputy Anthony Rausch “displayed outstanding courage, decisiveness, and professionalism” while responding to multiple 911 calls about a vehicle swerving on I‑41 and later locating the crash off State Highway 144 near Cedar Hills Drive. The sheriff said Rausch entered the vehicle after breaking a window, removed the unresponsive driver — described in the video as weighing about 185 pounds — and moved the person roughly 10 yards before flames intensified.

The commendation text delivered by the sheriff said deputies observed heavy damage, full airbag deployment and smoke from the engine compartment. Narcan was administered at the scene and the driver regained consciousness; the sheriff reported the driver later admitted to using fentanyl while driving to court and was arrested for OWI, third offense. Sheriff Schulteis said the vehicle was “soon fully engulfed” and the interior was destroyed before firefighters extinguished the fire.

Committee members praised Rausch’s calm, decisive actions during the incident and the sheriff’s office screened edited body‑worn camera footage and still photos for the committee. The presentation noted Rausch joined the agency in the jail in May, attended recruit school and received an academic excellence award at the academy before transferring to patrol on April 7.

The committee recorded the item on the agenda as an agency commendation and no roll‑call vote on the commendation was recorded in the transcript. The sheriff concluded the item by presenting the written commendation to Deputy Rausch and showing the edited audiovisual evidence.