Dunedin Boy Honored by Police for Protecting Others

Clearwater Police Chief Dan Slaughter recently took some time out of his busy schedule to visit two area middle schools.

He wasn’t out to make an arrest though.

Rather, Slaughter visited Dunedin and Safety Harbor middle schools to thank two boys who recently went above and beyond to protect others.

The boys, Safety Harbor’s Christopher Sakelariou and Dunedin’s Andrei Calhoun, became local heroes Sept. 1 while they were long-boarding near the Memorial Causeway Bridge. The pair spotted a storm drain that was missing its grate and realized it was a safety hazard.

The boys called their parents, who notified police.

“The students insisted on staying in the area until police arrived so that no one would fall in the drain,” the Clearwater Police Department’s Facebook page stated.

Slaughter presented both boys with commendations and challenge coins, the department’s page said, to thank them for being extra eyes on the streets.

“This area is heavily traveled by pedestrians, and your actions likely prevented someone from being seriously injured,” Slaughter wrote in a letter to the boys. “We certainly rely on individuals like you to report potential hazards so that our community remains a safe place to enjoy.”

Slaughter also told the two he was quite proud of their wise decision-making skills and the maturity they displayed in an unexpected situation.

The missing grate was not one of those stolen during a recent spree, spokesman Rob Shaw said.

Jonathan Ray Lee, 31, was arrested last Thursday after police say he stole and tried to sell five storm grates valued at $300 each.

See Also:

• ‘Grate’ Thief Busted with City Property

Photo Credit: Christopher Sakelariou, left, checks out his challenge coin. Chief Dan Slaughter talks with Andrei Calhoun. Photos courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department