ALAMOSA —Tristen Crowther, a police officer apprentice recently hired by the Alamosa Police Department (APD), was presented with an award by the Conejos County Sheriff's Office earlier this week for actions he took during a search and rescue mission that saved a man's life.

On Feb. 15, the Conejos County Sheriff's Office, where Crowther was working as a deputy, got a report of a missing man last seen in the Trujillo Meadows vicinity, an area known to have rough terrain that makes access difficult.

Time was of the essence. The man had been missing for some time, and the area was experiencing extreme blizzard conditions with subfreezing temperatures and high winds.

A search and rescue mission was launched, and Crowther, along with Conejos County Sheriff Garth Crowther and Undersheriff Blake Crowther, took off in search of the missing man despite the weather conditions potentially posing a threat to their own well-being.

After searching, the missing man was located. When the rescuers arrived, they determined he was suffering from severe hypothermia. Left in the elements for much longer, they questioned his ability to survive.

The rescuers immediately administered what aid they could on the scene and then secured him to a snowcat, which they used to transport him out of the area to safety, where he could receive emergency treatment for his condition.

The man recovered without significant injury.

The aptly named "Life Saver Award" was presented to both Tristen Crowther and Undersheriff Crowther in front of Conejos County Commissioners on behalf of the Conejos County Sheriff's Office by the sheriff himself, honoring them for their actions on that day in February.

Sheriff Crowther, who was also on the mission, was surprised when the Conejos County Commissioners presented him with the same award for his actions.

When asked to comment, Tristen Crowther, whom APD Chief Ken Anderson described as a "very humble young man," said, "I was just doing my job."

Crowther is attending the Trinidad State College Police Academy, where he is scheduled to graduate as a certified officer in May.

"We look forward to welcoming him to the force," Anderson said.