Golfers Honored For Saving Boy Found In LITH Pond

LAKE IN THE HILLS, IL — Four golfers were honored for saving the life of a boy who they found unresponsive in a pond while at the Boulder Ridge Country Club in late July.

The residents, Patrick Kalamatas, Steven Green, Matthew Horist and Mark Kroencke, received the Lake in the Hills Police Department's Award for Saving Human Life at a Lake in the Hills Village Board meeting last month, according to police. In addition, Detective John Arient, Officer Christina Busby and Officer James Recchia were honored for their rapid response.

• Golfers Pull Missing Boy From Pond, Perform CPR: Police

Police say the golfers found the boy, who was initially reported missing during the early afternoon hours on July 23. They pulled him from the pond and started performing CPR on him. The police officers arrived at the scene and took over CPR.

The boy was initially taken to the hospital in critical condition but did survive.

During the September village board meeting, Sgt. Dan Fowler and officers Sean Feely, Amanda Schmidt and Louis Zenaty and Detective Andrew Klem also received the department's Unit Citation Award for managing a critical incident "with the highest degree of professionalism and compassion."

Matthew Knows, Aschli Palczysnki, Lisa Mattson and Kathleen Menzelk, who are all telecommunications, received a Unit Citation Award for "their exceptional performance" in "providing key communications to all the first responders involved in the incident."

"The Lake in the Hills Police Department is very grateful to everyone involved who made it possible for this child to be alive today," authorities said in a statement.