Sheriff’s deputy honored for aiding distraught family

Camas — Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Baker was recognized on Nov. 1 at an awards banquet in Portland for his compassion and care shown to a distraught family at the scene of a drowning incident in the Columbia River. The incident happened on Memorial Day when a 13-year-old boy was presumed drowned after his family’s boat capsized near Lady Island. The boy’s body was never found, Sheriff’s Sgt. Fred Neiman said. Baker’s commendation, from Trauma Intervention Programs, said he displayed “amazing patience and diplomacy,” and was “careful, thoughtful and respectful” in understanding and dealing with the family’s shock.