Auburn Police are honoring the memory of one of their own who perished nearly a half-century ago.
Officer Rodney “Rocky” Bonney had responded April 6, 1981 to a call involving a teenage boy who had fallen into the Androscoggin River while walking along a railroad trestle.
“Without hesitation, he removed his jacket and duty belt and entered the water,” Auburn Police say in their Facebook tribute.
“He reached the boy but the teenager, panicked and struggling to stay afloat, began to fight against him. In that moment, Officer Bonney made a split-second decision – he pushed the boy toward safety, putting the child’s life ahead of his own.”
At that point Bonney went under, his body recovered the next day.
“Officer Rocky Bonney didn’t hesitate. He didn’t stand back. He gave everything to save someone else – and that decision cost him his life.”
Auburn officers are wearing black bands across their badges, known as mourning tabs, to remember the anniversary of his sacrifice.
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