87S21347 JGH-D
 
  By: Crockett H.R. No. 176
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, Officer Mitchell Aaron Penton of the Dallas Police
  Department is being posthumously honored with a Star of Texas Award
  on September 11, 2021, at a ceremony in Austin; and
         WHEREAS, Established by the 78th Texas Legislature in 2003,
  the Star of Texas Awards annually recognize first responders who
  have been seriously injured or killed in the line of duty;
  recipients are selected by three advisory committees appointed by
  the governor; and
         WHEREAS, On February 13, 2021, Officer Penton responded to a
  collision on the North Central Expressway; as he was securing
  traffic at the scene, a drunk driver hit his patrol car, which in
  turn struck Officer Penton; he later died of his injuries at Baylor
  University Medical Center; he was 27 years old; and
         WHEREAS, Born in Arlington on March 29, 1993, Mitchell Penton
  was the son of Timothy and Kathy Penton, and he grew up with two
  siblings, Garrett and Sydney; he earned his bachelor's degree in
  criminal justice from Rogers State University in 2015 and graduated
  from the police academy in 2019 before beginning his service with
  the Northeast Patrol Division; devoted to his loved ones, he
  married Noel Bergenske Penton in October 2020; the couple were
  raising a son, Cashton, and were expecting another child at the time
  of Officer Penton's death; and
         WHEREAS, Texans owe an immense debt of gratitude to the men
  and women of the law enforcement profession who willingly place
  themselves in harm's way to protect and serve the public, and the
  presentation of a Star of Texas Award in memory of Officer Penton
  ensures that his dedication and sacrifice will not be forgotten;
  now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 87th Texas
  Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby pay tribute to the life of
  Officer Mitchell Aaron Penton and commemorate his posthumous
  receipt of a Star of Texas Award; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
  Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Officer
  Penton.