LEWISTON, Idaho — A department of probation and parole officer was recognized by the Idaho Department of Correction for preventing a teenager from jumping off the Southway Bridge. Senior Probation and Parole Officer Clint Hoiland of Clarkston was awarded the Silver Cross by the Board of Correction. The award is earned by corrections officers whose actions result in the saving of a life, prevention of serious injury, or for demonstrating exceptional care for another individual.
Hoiland said he was driving home from the gym last February and heading west across the Southway Bridge when traffic in front of him stopped. “There were three cars in one lane, and four cars stopped in the opposing lane,” Hoiland said. “I looked to see what was going on and saw a young man trying to get on top of the guardrail.”
The teenager, Hoiland said, was climbing the rail of the bridge directly over the bicycle trail on the Asotin County bank of the Snake River.