Wilson praised for going ‘above and beyond’ the call of duty

The Corbin City Commission spent several minutes during its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Monday recognizing a pair of Corbin police officers for outstanding working, including Assistant Police Chief Major Coy Wilson for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus read a letter from Robert and Glenna Berru thanking Wilson for his help involving a situation with her Glenna’s mother, Glenna Dungey, a few months ago.

“I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Corbin’s best police Major Coy Wilson, who went above and beyond his call of duty as a public servant with his compassion for a citizen in dire need,” Glenna Berru wrote.

She went on to explain that Wilson noticed her mother, Glenna Dungey, who had lived in Corbin for over 23 years, needed help from a family member.

Wilson contacted Berru though a number on file after a welfare check on her mother in April 2023.

Glenna Dungey was an independent woman, whose health was declining and her memory was also failing due to dementia. Because of the dementia, Dungey allowed some of her “friends” to take advantage of her by moving into her home, trashing it and taking her money.

After her doctor revoked her driving privilege, she was walking everywhere with local “rift raft” giving her rides multiple places taking advantage of her money, Glenna Berru wrote in the letter.

She was estranged from her family due to the dementia, and her daughter was unaware of how destitute the situation had become.

After she arrived from California, Wilson made it a priority to help Berru alleviate the situation with her mother and the people that she was surrounding herself with.

“He (Wilson) provided us with all of the information that we needed to petition for emergency guardianship for my mother. Without his help I have no doubt in my mind my mother would have left this world without her family having knowledge of her passing,” Berru wrote in the letter.

“I want to thank Major Coy Wilson for giving us the knowledge and resources to remove her from this mess, and bringing my mom to California. With his compassion for the citizens in this town, he made it possible for my mother to spend the last four months of her life with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren with laughter, smiles and love for her family instead of fearing for her life.”

“Again, thank you kindly Major Coy Wilson for everything you have done for my mother and my family. We are grateful for all of your compassion as a public servant. May God bless you and your family this holiday season. With sincere gratitude and respect, Robert and Glenna Berru.”

Razmus noted that she wasn’t a bit surprised by the letter.

Corbin Police Chief Rusty Hedrick added that this is nothing short of what Wilson does on a daily basis.

“I appreciate all of his effort and everything he has done for the department and for me. He’s a good one to have by my side,” Hedrick said.

Also, during Monday’s meeting, Hedrick recognized Patrolman Chris Brown, who recently won a Governor’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Award for having the most DUI arrests of any officer in the department.

Hedrick said that Brown had 26 DUI arrests between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023.

“He does a really outstanding job with those. Impaired drivers are a passion of his. He is out there all the time,” Hedrick said.

In addition, Hedrick thanked the Corbin Fire Department for its support of the Shop with a Cop program in helping take 130 less fortunate children on Christmas shopping sprees last week.

“Without them, we would never have gotten those kids through there like we did,” Hedrick said.

In other business, the city commission approved the hiring of Wayne Bird as a full-time police officer effective Dec. 9.

Bird served 27 years working for the City of Williamsburg before retiring in 2022. He spent 14 of those years working as the Williamsburg Police Chief.

Bird also worked for most of 2023 for the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department as a lieutenant.