El Paso Teller 9-1-1 Authority Awards 12 year old as 9-1-1 Hero

On February 25, 2020, 12 year old Arturo Hernandez was awarded the 9-1-1 Hero Award.

On December 12, 2019, Arturo was faced with the unthinkable, a strange man broke into his house in the middle of the night. He woke to his mother’s scream when she discovered the intruder in their home.  Arturo’s mother distracted the man, leading him away from Arturo and his brother.  Knowing the intruder might hear him if he called 9-1-1, Arturo did the next best thing, he text messaged to 9-1-1 for help.  

Although he was shaken and couldn’t remember the exact numbers in his home address, he was able to provide El Paso County Sheriff's Office Dispatcher Leah Stevens with the street name, the color of his home and even the description of his family’s cars outside.  The information Arturo provided helped Fountain Police Officers and El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputies to find his house. 

Law enforcement arrived on scene and took the suspect into custody without anyone getting hurt.

We’ve never had a 9-1-1 Hero like this before!  Arturo’s quick thinking and resourcefulness during a terrifying time got his family the help they desperately needed.  It is for Arturo’s courage in a crisis that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the El Paso Teller 9-1-1 Authority present to him this 9-1-1 Hero Award.