Tammy Curtis, Managing Editor
Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose was surprised at the February meeting of the Hardy City Council with the presentation of a Citation in his honor.
State Representative Trey Steimel and Mayor Ethan Barnes made the presentation. A letter from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders accompanied the Citation.
Rose was the first officer on the scene at the tragic accident that claimed the life of Highland High School student Brooklyn Pendarvis on Sept. 13, 2024.
Huckabee’s letter stated, “Your quick action allowed Brooklynn’s family to have meaningful final moments with her that they will cherish amidst their unimaginable grief. I often say that the best thing about Arkansas is our people, and you have reminded me why that is true. Thank you for your dedication and service to our state.”
The citation states that Rose rushed to the accident scene to find Brooklyn’s truck on fire. Knowing that every second was critical, he put his own life in danger to pry the driver’s door open. He discovered she had died on impact and managed to pull Brooklyn from the vehicle thirty-four seconds before it exploded.
Rose suffered a significant burn while saving her from the flames, despite her death from the accident. The citation says “His heroic actions saved her body from the fire, which allowed her grieving family to see her one last time before she was buried. Chief Rose’s actions that day were truly exceptional and it further proves his willingness to serve his community, even if. It means putting his own life in danger.
Steimel also presented Rose with an Arkansas and an American Flag that flew over the capitol.
Steimel spoke of the need to recognize the service above self and thanked Rose for his service. “We need guys like this, they are the true epitome of what a small town should be like.”
Rose said he was humbled by the citation. He spoke about how his work in Jonesboro was much different than Hardy. “I worked a lot of accidents and different situations had babies die in my arms the eerie sound of the screams when you tell a parent that their child is dead is something I don’t wish on anybody and I have dealt with so many of them, but this particular one was very unique, and I told her mom while I was doing CPR on her. I kept looking at her face and thinking she looked like an angel, and then all of the things that I found out afterward and just all the variables that put me there were just wild and I had a harder time with that one. They keep talking about my burn. It’s just a slight scar now, but it was bad for a little bit and it just kept reminding me.”
Rose said he knew the city would do something but wasn’t sure what until the presentation. He said he was very thankful for the honor but that didn’t ease the pain of the loss of life but gave him some peace in being able to tell Brooklyn’s family she did not suffer in her last minutes.
Rose said it was very emotional for him when Rep. Steimel spoke of his continuing to help other officers with compassion. “I gave credit to my dad [Ernie Rose] because growing up with his way of policing put me where I am and gave me the ability to have a good career and change a lot of lives.”
He was very humbled by the recognition and said he would always cherish the citation.
