JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — Leaders with the Valley View Ferry said on Saturday that a potential tragedy was prevented by thorough training that empowered the captain and crew members to keep passengers and the ferry safe while working with law enforcement.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 1, Valley View Ferry officials posted on Facebook that a man entered the terminal with a gun and said he feared for his life, claiming someone was going to kill him.
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Ferry operators wrote that Captain Shane Toomey and Able Seaman Brian Rutherford had recently completed a self-funded vessel training course at Sea School in Bayou La Batre, and quickly separated the man from the ferry landing and passengers while contacting the Jessamine County Sheriff's Office.
"The JCSO responded immediately, and the individual was disarmed and was assisted, and his case is now being investigated," the ferry service said.
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Officials emphasized that the training was paid for out of the captain's and seaman's own pockets and described the relationship of the ferry crewmen and the community as "a culture of service."
"The passengers were kept away from what could have been a dangerous person, and the individual received the assistance they needed," ferry authorities said.
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