4 MDOT Employees Earn Exceptional Service Recognition for Brave, Heroic Act

Pictured left to right: MDOT Executive Director Melinda McGrath; Northern Commissioner Mike Tagert; Gene Sistrunk Richland and Bill Adams of Ridgeland, maintenance technicians; Tommy Clark of Brandon, maintenance superintendent; Roger Causin of Gulfport, maintenance technician; Central Commissioner Dick Hall; and Southern Commissioner Tom King.

JACKSON, Miss. (Press Release) — A Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) field crew was working on a routine maintenance project Dec. 1 in the Hattiesburg area. The job required some of the crew to stay overnight at a nearby hotel.

Roger Causin of Gulfport, Gene Sistrunk of Richland, Bill Adams of Ridgeland and Tommy Clark of Brandon met in the lobby before dinner. As they were discussing plans for their sign maintenance project on I-59, a man came frantically running down the hall and approached the front desk where he jumped over the counter, grabbed the hotel clerk and began assaulting her.

Causin, Sistrunk and Adams quickly responded to the aid of the woman and separated the man from her while Clark rescued the clerk to safety and called 911. The four men detained the man and took care of the clerk until local police arrived.

These men were commended Jan. 13 by the Mississippi Transportation Commission (MTC) in Jackson with a Commission Commendation for their exceptional service to both MDOT and the state of Mississippi beyond that which is required.

“We sincerely appreciate these four brave and heroic employees for their service to the people of the state of Mississippi and going above and beyond what’s required,” said Transportation Commissioners Dick Hall, Tom King and Mike Tagert from the MTC in a joint statement.