Montgomery County honors resident who aided shot trooper; National Weather Service recognizes county storm-ready certification

At its Aug. 19, 2025 meeting in Mount Sterling, the Montgomery County Fiscal Court publicly recognized Gina Rowland for helping a Kentucky State Police trooper who was shot at Bluegrass Airport on July 13 and accepted a National Weather Service recognition for the county’s StormReady certification.

Jane Marie Wiggs of the National Weather Service told the court the StormReady designation reflects months of work by county emergency-management staff and singled out Greg Beaves for leading training and certification efforts. Wiggs said the designation “improves the timeliness and effectiveness of hazardous weather warnings through the establishment of community preparedness standards.” The court presented a county coin during the recognition.

Rowland recounted arriving at the scene with family members, finding the trooper wounded and applying pressure with a blanket and other improvised materials while bystanders called for help. “My boyfriend told me to stay in the vehicle while he ran down there to assist. I don’t listen very well,” Rowland said, describing how she and others stabilized the trooper until emergency crews arrived. She credited another bystander, described in the transcript as the driver of a stolen pickup truck, with helping apply a tourniquet and saving the trooper’s life; that person was not named in the record presented to the court.

The court’s remarks noted Trooper Jude Vermillion, identified in the transcript as a three-year veteran of the Kentucky State Police, was shot at the airport entrance and later recovered. Court members and the National Weather Service framed the recognition as both a tribute to citizen bravery and a celebration of improved county emergency preparedness.

The recognition portion of the meeting concluded without formal action; no follow-up assignments were recorded.