Law Enforcement, Lawmakers Honored During 8th Annual OLEO Awards

The State Attorney’s Office hosted the 8^th Annual Daniel E. Watts Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer (OLEO) Awards, a recognition of exceptional law enforcement work in agencies throughout Clay, Duval, and Nassau counties. In all, 12 awards were presented in categories such as Investigative Excellence, Bravery, and K-9 Valor. Recipients were nominated by prosecutors and staff of the State Attorney’s Office along with external nominations from agencies in the Fourth Judicial Circuit. The winners were selected by the OLEO Selection Committee comprising attorneys and staff within the office.

These awards were made possible by Stellar and the Foster family, longtime sponsors of the OLEOs and the work of law enforcement and prosecutors. Thank you to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard for the presentation of colors and ForTheSoul’s Latrice and Patrice Holley for singing the national anthem.

Congratulations to the recipients who made a difference in changing and saving lives throughout the Fourth Circuit.

STATE ATTORNEY AWARD

• The State Attorney Award was presented to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Detective April Cobb and United States Secret Service Technical Agent Chad Balsamo for their investigation uncovering a jury duty scam originating from a Georgia prison. The victim was conned out of thousands of dollars. Cobb and Balsamo meticulously tracked the cryptocurrency and traced it back to Dalvin and Lisa Campbell, a son and mother. Dalvin is currently serving time in a Georgia prison; both have been charged in the case.

MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD

• The Meritorious Service Award was given to two undercover officers with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office whose work revealed security deficits within the Clay County jail. The breach allowed narcotics to pass through the metal detectors. The investigation stemmed from a fentanyl overdose inside the jail. Their investigation led to an arrest of an inmate for manslaughter and a security update for the jail.

BRAVERY AWARD

• The office honored Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Patrol Officer Luis Mercado with the Bravery Award for his courageous takedown of an armed man. Mercado was shot in the line of duty while arresting the man, and he managed to utilize his service weapon to fire back and administer his own torniquet.

LIFESAVING AWARD

• Nassau County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Hohman was awarded the Lifesaving Award for his 2025 rescue of a toddler from his neighborhood pond. He was off duty and at home when he saw splashing in the water, and he ran into action. He performed CPR and saved the little girl’s life with his training.

PROSECUTORIAL AWARD

• The Prosecutorial Award goes to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Sergeant Christopher Smith and Detective David Ostertag for their in-depth and complex investigation into the murder of Charles McCormick along with their expert testimony during the trial of Hakeem Robinson and Leroy Whitaker. Their work was essential in securing guilty verdicts for both gang members.

CITIZEN AND VOLUNTEER PARTNERSHIP AWARD

• The Citizen and Volunteer Partnership Award was given to State Representative Wyman Duggan and State Senator Jennifer Bradley for their work on an amendment to the Failure to Report law which will better protect victims of child or sexual abuse. The amendment, which went into law July 1, 2026, changed the Statute of Limitations timeline for Failure to Report from starting when the crime occurred to starting when the crime is reported. This small change will eliminate the ability to wait out the clock and encourage mandatory reporters to fulfill their legal and ethical responsibility.

K-9 VALOR AWARD

• The K-9 Valor Award goes posthumously to K-9 Tank with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office. Tank was the office’s first comfort dog. He aided in mental health of officers and first responders and also served as NCSO’s ambassador in the community. He was only 5 years old when he died of cancer; during his last few months, Tank continued to serve his community with love and affection. The award was given to his handlers, Director Kay Lynn Crews and retired Captain Renee Graham.

INVESTIGATIVE EXCELLENCE AWARD

• The first Investigative Excellence Award was given to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Detective Christopher Drabek for his investigation into the murder of 7-year-old Breon Allen by Jacksonville gang members.
• The second Investigative Excellence Award was given to Fernandina Beach Police Officer James Loughlin for his investigation into a child predator who was grooming a teen and traveling hundreds of miles from South Florida to exploit her. The investigation led to his arrest; he later pleaded guilty to all charges.

LEADERSHIP AWARD

• The first Leadership Award was given to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Jason Moore for his role in the success of the Community Problem Response Unit. In 2025, CPRU’s deployments resulted in over 1,300 felony arrests, 560 misdemeanor arrests, 50 stolen vehicles recovered, 277 guns seized, and 312 gang members contacted (85 of which were arrested). The unit seized a massive quantity of drugs and more than $170,000.
• The second Leadership Award was given to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Sergeants Jordan Calderon Buque and Kayla Cruz for their diligence in the Overdose Unit. Their leadership over the last two years has led to a 25 percent decrease in overdoses from 2024 to 2025.

CIVILIAN PUBLIC SAFETY AWARD

• A true friend of the office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Captain Eric Prosswimmer was awarded the Civilian Public Safety Award for his volunteer photography with the State Attorney’s Office, specifically for the OLEO Awards. Last year, the office reached out to Prosswimmer for help with the ceremony photography. Prosswimmer—a career firefighter—is a talented photographer and has photographed fire scenes for work and natural landscapes for leisure. Prosswimmer never hesitated to lend his time and talents to shine a light on his fellow first responders.