Kelly Kalmbach has come a long way since graduating from Connell High School about 30 years ago. From growing up on a farm north of Pasco, she went to work as a Benton County emergency dispatcher in 1978. She later moved to take another dispatcher job in Federal Way before joining the Washington State Patrol in 2001. Now Kalmbach, 48, who's moved back to Kennewick, can add being named North America's top trooper of 2006 to the list. She received the award last week in Baltimore at the International Association of Chiefs of Police mid-year conference. Kalmbach had earlier been named the association's Western Region Trooper of the Year for her bravery and composure last summer after she stopped a suspected drunken driver while on patrol in Pierce County. That stop led to a violent confrontation in which she was shot five times in an exchange of almost two dozen shots. Within an hour, the suspect was dead. "We knew Kelly was an excellent trooper before this tragic incident," said State Patrol Chief John Batiste. "It was not a surprise that she handled herself so well when the going got tough." Batiste and Kalmbach's husband Steven, a retired state patrol lieutenant, also were present for the award. The Trooper of the Year award is given by the IACP after nominations from state-level police agencies in the U.S., two provincial agencies in Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Troopers are first nominated by their state agencies, followed by review at the regional level. A North American honoree is eventually determined from four regional finalists. "She is a wonderful woman," said Kalmbach's stepmother, Dee Scharnhorst of Kennewick. Kalmbach and her family moved to Kennewick in mid-February. She remains with the state patrol, but is still in rehab from her wounds. Prior to getting shot, she had been planning to transfer to the Tri-Cities in October. She remains enthusiastic about returning to patrol duty one day and has no trouble talking about that night and how her training saved her life. She said "it was a regular summer night" on Wednesday, June 28, as she was working the 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift. She already had stopped about a dozen people for various infractions. The year before, she had been recognized for stopping more than 500 speeders and 500 people for not wearing seat belts. Then while driving on Highway 7 near Spanaway, she saw a car driving in the opposite direction, weaving all over the roadway. She pulled the driver over for a possible DUI, and the man initially seemed cooperative. He told her he had a gun and a concealed weapons permit, then followed directions when she told him to leave the gun behind as he got out of the car to take a field sobriety test. The suspect, Jack Sonntag, who it was later learned was the nephew of State Auditor Brian Sonntag, failed that test. But when she tried to handcuff him, he wrestled free, ran to his car, pulled out a 9mm pistol and started shooting. He fired 12 times at Kalmbach, hitting her five times. She fired back 11 times, hitting him three times. She called for backup, and as Sonntag got into his car to drive away, she shot out the left front tire. Sonntag's getaway lasted about 1.5 miles before Pierce County sheriff's deputies responding to Kalmbach's call for help caught up with him and shot and killed him after he pointed a gun toward them. Tests later found he had a blood alcohol level of 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit, as well as marijuana in his system. Kalmbach spent eight days in a hospital recovering from gunshot wounds to her left arm, right thigh and knee and left calf. It was the shot to her arm, and the nerve damage it caused, that has prevented her from returning to patrol. She has continued to attend rehab three times a week, as well as to do exercises at home. She wears a brace on her arm to help keep her hand from curling up. She can perform some tasks, such as cooking, but limits her driving to short distances and slower speeds. Kalmbach hopes the nerve damage will heal within the next three years. If not, she said, doctors have other options that would require surgery. "We're very proud to honor Kelly and the other three finalists," said Superintendent Rick Fuentes, general chairman of the IACP Division of State and Provincial Police. "It's our belief all four troopers exemplify the honor and dedication displayed by all state and provincial police officers every day."
Information From: AP Wire Services
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