Good Samaritan Honored For Saving Elderly Man

CLEARWATER, FL — The eagle-eyed cemetery worker credited with finding a missing 82-year-old man last month received heartfelt thanks from the Clearwater Police Department Thursday.

Denny Johnson, an employee at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park on Sunset Point Road, is responsible for finding Bob Taylor laying in a wooded patch on the cemetery’s grounds about 18 hours after he had been reported missing. Johnson noticed an out-of-place clump of color on the park’s northeast corner around 9:44 a.m. Jan. 20 and went to investigate.

Taylor, who had been reported missing from his Regency Oaks South home the night before, “was able to talk, but was extremely cold,” the police department said at the time.

See Also:

• Clearwater Man Found Cold, But OK

Following the discovery, Johnson contacted emergency crews. Temperatures the night before had fallen into the freezing range and Taylor was suffering from hypothermia, the police department said.

Chief Dan Slaughter took time out on Feb. 18 to thank Johnson for going above and beyond. He also presented him with the Clearwater Police Department’s Samaritan Award.

“A very humble Johnson downplayed any notion that he was a hero, saying he did only what anyone else would do and that he was simply doing his job,” the police department reported following the presentation. “We here at CPD salute him for his efforts in helping get help for Taylor.”

Photo of Denny Johnson and Chief Dan Slaughter courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department

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