He Rushed in to Save Her

By NANCY BEAN FOSTER
New Hampshire Union Leader Correspondent

May 5, 2010

MILFORD – Sgt. Kevin Furlong (Unity College '99) had no idea what he was going to face when he got the call to respond to a home invasion on Trow Road in Mont Vernon on Oct. 4, 2009, but his actions helped save the life of a little girl.

Furlong will be honored this afternoon at the annual New Hampshire Union Leader Hero Awards sponsored by Citizens Bank at the State House.

Furlong, a member of the Milford Police Department for more than eight years, was the first officer to arrive at the Cates' home on that fateful autumn morning. With only the vague knowledge that the house on a rural dirt road had been invaded, Furlong quickly surveyed the scene, looking in windows to see if the attackers were still inside.

When he reached the kitchen window, he looked in and saw the head of 11-year-old Jaimie Cates rise up from behind a counter. In that instant, Furlong forgot everything else and focused only on getting to the child before any more harm could come to her.

Furlong ran to the front door of the house and knocked it in, injuring his shoulder in the process. He then rushed to the little girl's side and inspected her injuries before scooping her into his arms and carrying her out of the house.

By then, Officer Eric Wales, with just over a year of police work under his belt, had arrived. Wales stayed with Jaimie, comforting her. Furlong, who still didn't know whether the assailants were in the home, went back in. There he found Jaimie's mother, Kimberly Cates, 42, brutally murdered in her own bed. Within days, four local men were arrested in connection with the murder.

FURLONG

Furlong flinches at the word "hero" and insists that he was only doing his job, but Mont Vernon Police Chief Kyle Aspinwall said the recognition of Furlong is "very much deserved."

Milford Police Chief Frederick Douglas said that Furlong's response on Oct. 4 was just another example of the sergeant's unyielding dedication to his profession and to the people he serves.

"Kevin Furlong epitomizes the basic foundation of what every law-enforcement officer in the U.S. stands for," said Douglas. "He is competent, professional, and he has the ability to get the job done right."

Furlong, who grew up in Albany, N.Y., and graduated from Unity College in Maine, joined the Milford Police Department in 2003 after serving the town of Amherst. He was promoted to patrol sergeant in April 2006.

"He is very dedicated to this profession and brings to it some special qualities," Douglas said, including the creation of the department's motorcycle unit, which he heads.

"He brought the idea of a motorcycle unit to us, did all of the research and development, and even went and got himself certified as an instructor through a very grueling course," said Douglas.

Furlong has also been a leader in the department's accident-reconstruction unit, keeping abreast of new technology and procedures, and helping to maintain the department's mobile unit.

But it's Furlong's reputation as a firm but caring cop that really stands out, Douglas said.

"Kevin has a tendency to be a strict law-enforcement officer," he said, "but he has always shown compassion when need be."

The New Hampshire Union Leader Hero Awards honor New Hampshire residents who have risked their lives to save or attempt to save the life of another during the previous year. Recipients will be honored at a 3 p.m. ceremony at the State House in Concord today, sponsored by Citizens Bank.

Others who will be honored include Randolph Fire Chief Dana Horne, who placed himself between the ground and a crash victim while crews extricated a driver from the car in snow; Sgt. Russell McLauchlan and Officer William Strong of the Conway Police Department, who confronted an attacker during a January 2009 stabbing; Claremont Fire Department Capt. Alan Chamberlain and firefighter Brian Rapp, who entered a burning building to rescue residents; Kent Clark of Manchester, who rescued his 4-year-old daughter and fiancee, then went back into a burning building to save his disabled mother; and Richard Johnston of Pittsfield, who died trying to rescue his disabled daughter, Heidi Johnston, in a blaze that destroyed their home.

Their stories have been told over the course of the past several days in the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News.