ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A sheriff's deputy from the Hudson Valley has been honored as New York state's Deputy of the Year for 2012.
Dutchess County Sheriff Adrian "Butch" Anderson says Deputy Robert Freer received the award earlier this week during the state Sheriffs' Association winter training conference in suburban Albany.
Freer was honored for his actions during a house fire in LaGrange last June. After Freer arrived on the scene, he pulled a 44-year-old man to safety after he refused to leave the burning home.
Freer then had to restrain the man after he tried to get back inside. The man was later charged with arson, reckless endangerment and assault. Police said he started the fire while six family members, including his wife and three children, were inside. All made it out safely.