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Published in the Greenville Daily Reflector - June 16, 2009
RALEIGH, N.C. - A 47-year-old North Carolina state trooper is getting ready to receive a national award.
Trooper Gregory J. Seabolt of Denton will be given the Trooper of the Year award Tuesday from the American Association of State Troopers.
The organization says it is honoring the 24-year veteran of the Highway Patrol for rescuing a woman who attempted suicide in March 2008 by jumping off a bridge into Randleman Lake.
Seabolt heard a faint cry for help while investigating a suspicious car, then grabbed a rope and life vest from his patrol car and went into the cold lake to save the woman.
The woman survived and Seabolt was not injured.
Along with the award, Seabolt will get a check for $1,000.
Published in the Lexington Dispatch - June 12, 2009
North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Gregory J. Seabolt, 47, from Denton, has been named the recipient of the American Association of State Troopers 2009 Trooper of the Year award.
Seabolt will be presented with the award and a check for $1,000 at the AAST national board meeting at a 12:30 p.m. luncheon Tuesday in the Egyptian Ballroom of the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas.
Seabolt, a 24-year veteran of the patrol, is assigned to Troop D, Greensboro. He was selected as the national AAST Trooper of the Year from a pool of candidates from across the country. The award was based on Seabolt's life-saving efforts March 27, 2008, when he helped save a woman from Randleman Lake, south of Greensboro.
Seabolt rescued the woman who had attempted suicide when she jumped into the lake from an overhead bridge. Following a report of a suspicious car just before 2:30 a.m., Seabolt and a deputy were searching the water with their flashlights when they heard a faint voice call for help. They found the driver of the vehicle in the water, clinging to a tree.
Seabolt obtained a rescue rope and life vest from his patrol car, climbed down a steep embankment and jumped into the icy-cold water in a pitch-black area.
Noticing that the woman was exhibiting signs of hypothermic shock, Seabolt held onto her until fellow officers arrived and pulled them back to shore. The victim was treated for hypothermia at a local hospital. Seabolt was not injured.
"We are privileged to honor Trooper Seabolt with this important award for his selfless efforts that helped save a life," AAST President Tommy Moore said. "He showed tremendous dedication to duty and concern for others during the life-saving act, and he is most deserving of this special recognition."
Seabolt also received the North Carolina Crime Control & Public Safety Secretary's Gold Circle Award and the department's Heroism Award for his life-saving action.
As Trooper of the Year, Seabolt and his wife will be treated by AAST and the National Safety Commission to an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas to receive his award.
The AAST Trooper of the Year award is sponsored by Ken Underwood, founder and CEO of the National Safety Commission, one of the nation's leading providers of driver education services.
Published in the Greensboro News Record - June 12, 2009
What do you think? 1 comment(s) Read other visitors' comments and post your own. GREENSBORO - A Greensboro-based state trooper is being honored as the 2009 Trooper of the Year by the American Association of State Troopers.
Trooper Gregory Seabolt, 47, of Greensboro-based Troop D of the N.C. Highway Patrol will receive the award next week in Las Vegas.
Seabolt, of Denton, is receiving the award after saving the life of a suicidal woman who jumped into Randleman Lake from a bridge on March 27, 2008, according to a news release.
Troopers had responded to the area around 2:30 a.m. to reports of a suspicious vehicle on the bridge.
Seabolt and another trooper searched the water with flashlights and overheard a faint cry for help from the woman, who was clinging to a tree.
Seabolt retrieved a a rescue rope and life vest from his patrol car, climbed down an embankment and jumped into the icy water in the darkness.
The woman was experiencing signs of hypothermic shock and Seabolt held onto the woman until other officers could pull them back to shore. The woman was treated at a local hospital and Seabolt was uninjured.
"He showed tremendous dedication to duty and concern for others during the life-saving act and he is deserving of this special recognition," said Tommy Moore, president of the AAST.
Seabolt also received the N.C. Crime Control and Public Safety Secretary's Gold Circle Award and the department's Heroism Award for saving the woman's life. He is a 24-year veteran of the Highway Patrol.
To receive the award, the AAST is flying Seabolt and his wife to Las Vegas for an all expense paid trip. He will also receive a check for $1,000.
He was selected for the award from a pool of candidates from across the country.
Seabolt could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
AAST announces National Trooper of the Year
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