Prineville honors policeman injured in attack

To the applause of the audience, a Prineville police officer recovering from a brutal assault by a burglary suspect received a special honor at Tuesday evening’s city council meeting.

The city provided its first Law Enforcement Purple Heart to Sgt. Jimmy O’Daniel.

On March 21, O’Daniel responded to a burglary at Terry’s Jewelry store on Third Street in Prineville.

According to police, the suspect, identified as Trevor Hugh Trollope, attacked O’Daniel and struck him repeatedly with hammer blows to the head.

The honor is awarded to officers who sustain injuries from a deadly or dangerous weapon on the job.

O’Daniel underwent months of recovery and rehabilitation due to his injuries before he could return to his job.

O’Daniel says that kind of call can happen to any man or woman officer.

“It just turned into a survival — I just wanted to live,” he recalled. “That’s what the fight was about, is to live.”

Right now, O’Daniel is back to work with a light load. Police Chief Les Stiles says he should be back to 100 percent in about a month.

Stiles said it took three months to get the award arranged, since Prineville has never had a similar law enforcement award made before.

He also said a ceremony like this is bittersweet.

“It’s with terribly mixed emotions when a chief does this,” Stiles said. “On one hand, we’re very grateful he’s still here and still with us. But it means someone’s been injured.”