Madison Police Officer Mike Maxwell received a standing ovation and the City of Madison’s Lifesaving Award for his prompt response and quick thinking in saving the life of a newborn baby.
The Madison Mayor and City Council hosted the award ceremony last week, with Madison Police Chief Bill Ashburn presenting the award to Officer Maxwell.
Credit: Ken Kocher
Credit: Ken Kocher
Back in May, Officer Maxwell responded to a nearby call reporting a newborn baby had stopped breathing. The baby was two-week old Lucia Frances Connelly, the daughter of Josiah and Val Connelly.
Officer Maxwell arrived at the scene in less than a minute and found Val collapsed on the front porch and the baby’s grandmother, Maria, frantically holding the infant who was blue from lack of oxygen. He sprung into action, taking Lucia in his arms to carry out his training on saving choking infants. He held the little baby girl face down across one arm and delivered a few sharp knocks to her back area.
After a few tries, he successfully cleared her airways and the baby began to cry.
Ashburn praised Officer Maxwell for his level-headed response that saved the young child’s life.
“His instincts and first-aid training took over,” said Ashburn to the Mayor and City Council Monday evening. “I realize May is a while back, but the humbleness of Officer Maxwell kept us from even really knowing anything about this incident for a while. It is with great honor to present the lifesaving award to Officer Maxwell with the Madison Police Department.”
Maxwell told the Morgan County Citizen he has never saved a life during his time in law enforcement or in his time with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Unit.
“I’ve worked a lot of deaths,” he said. “But not this… When you can save a life, especially when it’s two weeks old, it’s special.”
As previously reported in the Morgan County Citizen, Mike Maxwell has worked for the Madison Police Department for more than a year as a patrol officer. Prior to that he worked 24 years as a patrol captain for the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office. Maxwell moved south from New York when a job ended and his youthful wanderlust was enough motivation to find something different. He found South Carolina and later Georgia.
Credit: Morgan County Citizen
Credit: Morgan County Citizen
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