ELMIRA, NY (607NewsNow) – A member of the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office is being recognized for injuries suffered in the line of duty.
On December 8, Investigator Michael Theetge received the Order of the Blue Heart Award from Wounded Blue, the only national organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement officers injured or disabled on the job.
In March 2024, Theetge suffered severe brain trauma when he was thrown from the hood of a moving car while attempting to make a commercial theft arrest outside Target in Horseheads. Theetge was hospitalized with a skull fracture for an extended period of time and underwent months of treatment and rehabilitation.
Dominick Haley, of Ithaca, pled guilty to his role in the crime earlier this year and was sentenced to 12 years in state prison. The other suspect in the crime, Fatiuna Massaline, of Ithaca, was convicted of assault of a police officer and assault. She was sentenced to 12.5 years in state prison in May 2025.
Wounded Blue was founded by a retiree of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Lieutenant Randy Sutton.
