A Kelso police officer, who was wounded during a 2013 standoff with a convicted felon, has retired after 22 years of service.
Officer Ralph Hines was honored at last week's Kelso council meeting, as well as as reception at Kelso City Hall.
At the Jan. 6 council meeting, Kelso Police Chief Rich Fletcher said Hines is the only member of the department to receive a purple heart — for deliberately injured or killed officers — since the department's awards program began. He also received the department's medal of valor.
The awards program began the year Hines was injured and the suspect killed in a standoff at a West Kelso home, according to The Daily News archives.
Fletcher said Hines responded to a vehicle accident on March 2, 2013, in which a man fled the scene, reportedly due to suspected warrants.
When officers later found the suspect, 26-year-old Jesse McMillan, he was barricaded inside a room at his mother's home, but soon opened the door and fired a .38 revolver, striking Hines in the left left, according to previous TDN article.
Hines and a deputy on the scene fired back, killing McMillan. The county prosecutor found the shooting was justified.
Before joining the Kelso Police Department, Hines served nearly 13 years in the U.S. Air Force and Idaho National Guard, being deployed to the Middle East four times, Fletcher said.
Even after starting work with the Kelso Police Department, Hines served in the military part time, eventually retiring after 22 years of service with the title Senior Master Sergeant.
Hines also served as Kelso's school resource officer for five years, and was a patrol tactics instructor for the department, Fletcher said.
"It goes without any further commentary that officer Hines has made a number of sacrifices during his law enforcement career," Fletcher said at the meeting. "Not only from what I just described to you, but also having to work night shifts, weekends, holidays away from his family, and often being forced to work when he was otherwise off duty and not required to."
