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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Officer Mitchell Aaron Penton of the Dallas Police |
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Department is being posthumously honored with a Star of Texas Award |
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on September 11, 2021, at a ceremony in Austin; and |
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WHEREAS, Established by the 78th Texas Legislature in 2003, |
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the Star of Texas Awards annually recognize first responders who |
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have been seriously injured or killed in the line of duty; |
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recipients are selected by three advisory committees appointed by |
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the governor; and |
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WHEREAS, On February 13, 2021, Officer Penton responded to a |
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collision on the North Central Expressway; as he was securing |
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traffic at the scene, a drunk driver hit his patrol car, which in |
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turn struck Officer Penton; he later died of his injuries at Baylor |
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University Medical Center; he was 27 years old; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Arlington on March 29, 1993, Mitchell Penton |
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was the son of Timothy and Kathy Penton, and he grew up with two |
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siblings, Garrett and Sydney; he earned his bachelor's degree in |
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criminal justice from Rogers State University in 2015 and graduated |
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from the police academy in 2019 before beginning his service with |
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the Northeast Patrol Division; devoted to his loved ones, he |
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married Noel Bergenske Penton in October 2020; the couple were |
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raising a son, Cashton, and were expecting another child at the time |
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of Officer Penton's death; and |
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WHEREAS, Texans owe an immense debt of gratitude to the men |
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and women of the law enforcement profession who willingly place |
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themselves in harm's way to protect and serve the public, and the |
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presentation of a Star of Texas Award in memory of Officer Penton |
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ensures that his dedication and sacrifice will not be forgotten; |
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now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas |
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Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of |
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Officer Mitchell Aaron Penton and commemorate his posthumous |
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receipt of a Star of Texas Award; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Officer |
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Penton. |