Fresno County deputy honored for rescue of drowning senior

Fresno County deputy sheriff Jose Lomeli Monday was honored for the rescue of a missing 81-year-old man who he pulled from a canal in December.

Lomeli was one of four public safety officers recognized during the Fresno Rotary Club's Public Safety Heroes Award Luncheon for 2018. The others were Fresno Fire Captain Brad Driscoll, Fresno Police Officer Dennis Zeuner and California Highway Patrolman Greg Makel.

Lomeli, who this year was also honored for helping return a missing gravestone to a Valley family, went out of his way in December to brief Kingsburg Police officers about the missing man, said Sheriff Margaret Mims. The man had last been seen near Caruthers.

Lomeli checked near Mountain View and McCall avenues after the briefing and found a bicycle on the side of the road. Hearing moaning sounds from a nearby canal, Lomeli investigated, saw the man in the water and jumped in for the rescue. The victim's lungs were full of water, but he recovered in a hospital.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Fresno County deputy honored for rescue of drowning senior."