Tingwall awarded Medal of Valor

SANTA FE (KRQE) - A state police pilot killed in a helicopter crash in early June was posthumously awarded the state Medal of Valor, the highest honor a state police officer can receive, for a daring rescue in 2008.

Sgt. Andy Tingwall's daughter accepted the award on his behalf on Tuesday. Last year, Tingwall saved an intoxicated man from drowning.

He was among several officers honored during a ceremony at the rotunda in the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe.

State police said there's a strong possibility Tingwall will be nominated for the Medal of Valor next year for his efforts to rescue stranded hiker Megumi Yamamoto. He and Yamamoto were killed when the helicopter he was piloting crashed on Santa Fe Baldy in early June.

Fellow state police officer Wesley Cox was injured but survived the crash. He's recovering at home.