A Pulaski County Sheriff’s deputy is being credited with saving the life of a Bass Lake man over the Labor Day weekend. Deputy Branson Eber was eating dinner at Poblanos in Winamac when it happened, according to Sheriff Jeff Richwine. “Some person in there starts choking, falls over, and he does the Heimlich maneuver and gets him recovered,” Richwine told the county commissioners Tuesday. “And so when I get to work this morning, I’ve got a message from a lady from Bass Lake saying, ‘Hey, I wanted to thank you for having such a good deputy. He just saved my husband’s life at Pablanos, and we’re forever grateful.’”
Richwine said he heard about it from a relative who happened to be there, as well. “So I call [Eber] on the phone. I say, ‘How you doing?’ ‘Alright.’ So I said, ‘Did you just save somebody’s life?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘How did you find out? I just walked out of the place.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s the beauty of living in a small town, I guess.’”
This isn’t the first time Eber has been commended for his work. His actions during a multi-county pursuit last year earned him the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office’s Medal of Valor, along with recognition from U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski.
