Clay County Commission

Dan Haglund

Scott Tommerdahl

Scott Tommerdahl of rural Felton was honored Tuesday by Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting for assistance he provided to the sheriff’s office during the Feb. 14 blizzard before the Clay County Commission.

The weather event that day included white-out conditions with wind gusts of 60 mph, which were especially bad in open country.

The Sheriff’s Office Citizen Citation for Distinguished Service nomination letter was provided by Clay County Lt. Gabe Tweten.

Part of Tweten’s nomination letter reads as follows:

“At 8:40 p.m., a female called the Red River Valley Dispatch Center indicating her vehicle was in the ditch on County Road 11 on 150th Avenue North. Her 6-year-old son and her were in the vehicle and she was working on getting a tow truck to her location. At 9:22 p.m. a Clay County deputy made phone contact with her, and she informed him that she had a full tank of fuel and that they were doing fine.

“With the visibility conditions, they were no ab le to get a tow truck to their location. At 12:20 a.m. the female called dispatch to report her vehicle was no longer running, meaning they no longer had heat. The air temperature was around zero degrees and the wind chill was in the double digits below zero, creating life-threatening conditions.

“A short while later, I (Tweten) spoke to you on the phone and tried to get to the female’s location. I left Ulen west on County 34 and made it approximately a mile-and-a-half before I was forced to turn around due to not being able to make out any lines on the road or discern the road from the ditch.

“I’ve worked many winter weather events and this may be the worst visibility I can recount. At this point I called an individual I know who lives a couple miles north of where the mother and child are stranded. This person indicated they couldn’t see their shed from their house, and didn’t believe they’d be able to make it to the location in a pickup truck. They did, however, provide me with a number for Scott Tommerdahl, who lives under a mile from where the mother and child were stranded.

“At 12:44 a.m. I gave Scott a call, and informed him of the situation. Scott didn’t hesitate to come to their aid. Scott said he would see if he could reach them and bring back to his house for the remainder of the storm. I gave Scott the best location I had for the mother and child, and provided him with her cell phone number.

“I then called the mother back and explained to her that Scott was going to try and get to them. At 1:44 a.m. I spoke to Scott and he indicated he was able to reach them with his utility vehicle. He said they were safe at his house, and they could remain there until the storm passed.

“I called Scott the following morning to thank him and to see if the sheriff’s office could be of any assistance in getting the mother and child back to their home. Scott indicated he had already brought them back to their home.

“We thank Scott for his efforts, and willingness to assist us by coming to someone’s aid in a time of need. Scott said, “No problem.”

“On Feb. 16, I spoke to the female who had been stranded with her son. She explained to me that her battery had died … before Scott getting to her location, and there were no emergency lights flashing to act as a beacon for Scott to see.”

She had a flashlight on the vehicle, and that was just enough light for Scott to see them. She said on the ride back to Scott’s home, he had to stop several times in order to get his bearings before venturing forward. She said once in the house, Scott and his girlfriend welcoming them into their home. She told me she is so grateful for what Scott did that night, to get she and her son to safety. She couldn’t say enough good about how well Scott, 55, and his girlfriend treated them.

“I feel Scott’s actions exemplify what it means to be a good citizen, neighbor and person. Scott rescued a young mother and child that were in a potentially life-threatening situation.”

Based on Scott’s actions during the Valentine’s Day blizzard, Tweten penned the citizen award nomination.

“Scott, we cannot be more thankful and grateful for your assistance you provided to us that day,” said Empting. “Scott, thank you very much for your work.”