[Madison, WI] – To begin yesterday’s State Assembly floor session, Representative Calvin Callahan (R-
Tomahawk) presented a local Merrill resident and officer with the Wausau Police Department, Josiah
Kaetterhenry, with the Assembly’s prestigious Hometown Hero Award. This program provides the opportunity
for state representatives to identify and recognize individuals from their Assembly Districts who make a
difference in their communities and in the lives of the people around them.
“I am proud to have constituents in the 35 th Assembly District like Officer Kaetterhenry,” said Rep. Callahan.
“Thanks to his quick-thinking and bravery, two teens were saved during active suicide attempts within the
course of three months.”
In April 2022, Officer Kaetterhenry pulled a 15 year old male to safety who had been reported to be actively
suicidal and was walking along the top ledge of the Jefferson Street Ramp in Wausau. Officer Kaetterhenry
restrained the teen until other officers arrived to assist. Three months later, in July, an 18 year old male was
sitting on the railing of the Bridge Street Bridge in Wausau, 100 feet above the Wisconsin River, preparing to
jump and end his life. Officer Kaetterhenry snuck up behind him, grabbed him around the waist, and pulled him
off the guardrail.
“On behalf of the Wisconsin State Assembly, I am pleased to congratulate Officer Kaetterhenry on receiving
the Assembly’s Hometown Hero Award and thank him for his service to the residents in our local communities
and our state.”
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