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Officer Anthony Merlene honored after series of January incidents, including house-fire rescue
Summary
Wadsworth Police named Officer Anthony Merlene January Officer of the Month after several notable incidents, including a Jan. 30 house fire in which he breached a door and rescued an 81‑year‑old woman. The department cited multiple arrests and proactive patrol activity in its award justification.
The Wadsworth Police Department named Officer Anthony Merlene its Officer of the Month for January 2026, citing multiple arrests, proactive patrol activity and a Jan. 30 rescue at a residence fire.
The department’s written report recounts that Merlene responded to several serious incidents during the month. In one case he investigated a domestic-violence incident that led to an arrest; in another he pursued a suspected drug offense that resulted in a felony tampering charge. Notably, the report says Merlene responded to a house fire at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 30, used a sledgehammer to breach the front door, located an 81-year-old woman who was calling for help, and pulled her to safety. The department included these incidents as part of its justification for naming Merlene Officer of the Month.
The award and incident narrative were part of the department’s written monthly recap submitted to the committee; the transcript excerpt includes the written text but does not record committee discussion or public comment on the recognition.
