Two Troop I Highway patrol officers–Sergeant Greg A. Weddle and Corporal Shawn M. Blackston receive recognition

Two Troop I Highway patrol officers–Sergeant Greg A. Weddle and Corporal Shawn M. Blackston–are the February 2023 Department of Public Safety Sworn Team Members of the Month for their outstanding initiative and investigative work that resulted in a father and son being reunited 13 years after a child abduction.
Weddle initiated a traffic stop on Interstate 44 in Pulaski County for excessive speed. The driver was unable to produce identification and Weddle requested that Blackston come to the scene with a mobile fingerprint scanner to confirm her identity. The driver was identified as one of the state of Texas’ 10 most wanted fugitives with a warrant for parental kidnapping since 2009. The two officers conducted additional interviews and located her son in St. Peters, Missouri. The Collin County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office was informed of the child’s recovery and notified the father, who responded from Texas to be reunited with his son.
Following a routine traffic stop, Weddle and Blackston demonstrated outstanding initiative, identifying a wanted criminal suspect, recovering a missing person and reuniting a father and son after 13 years.