Ark City residents honored with Good Neighbor Awards

Two Arkansas City residents were given the Good Neighbor Award during the City Commission meeting on Tuesday evening. Arkansas City Police Chief Eric Burr presented awards to Samantha Koester and Jaime Lovell. Koester was recognized for actions on Oct. 8 when her neighbor suffered an accidental gunshot wound to the leg. When Koester, a nurse for eight years, learned of the accident, she quickly called 911, used a towel to put pressure on the wound, and applied a belt as a tourniquet. Lovell, an employee of Four County Mental Health, is partnered with Arkansas City Police Officer Cori Tuxhorn as part of the department’s Crisis Intervention Team. Lovell and Tuxhorn routinely follow up with citizens who have mental illness, substance abuse issues, or are currently homeless. On Oct. 13, a citizen came to the police department to pick up her personal property after serving time in jail. Upon realizing that the citizen, who is currently homeless, didn’t have shoes on, Jaime removed her shoes to give to the citizen.