A sheriff’s deputy in western Iowa put his EMT training to good use this week when he helped deliver a baby born to a couple from Cass County. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says the couple was on their way to the hospital when they pulled off the road near Carson and called for help.

Deputy Aaron Pattee was first on the scene. “He showed up and apparently, almost as soon as he got there, she delivered the baby,” Danker said. “He was able to assist with the delivery and keep the baby from aspirating. He wrapped the baby in a towel…and used a shoe string to tie off the umbilical cord.”

The mother and newborn baby were transported by Carson Fire and Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. It happened late Thursday morning. “Deputy Pattee did a great job with this and being able to help deliver the baby,” Danker said. “That’s one of the things with law enforcement and I think that’s the attraction for people who work in this field – you never know what you’re going to get from one day to the next.”

The parents are identified as Clarke and Rebeka Gerlock of Cumberland. Their newborn daughter, Bethany, is their fourth child. Deputy Pattee and Bethany share something in common. They were both born on August 30. Pattee was celebrating his 33rd birthday the day Bethany was born.

by Ric Hanson, KJAN