WHITESIDE COUNTY, Ill. — Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker held a press conference this morning to announce the return of Derek Hamstra to full duty.
Hamstra suffered a work-related injury in September last year when an Illinois State Trooper "inadvertently" shot Hamstra in the foot while Hamstra was attempting to locate two suspects who had fled from law enforcement earlier in the day.
Not only did Hamstra return to work today, but at the press conference, Sheriff Booker surprised Hamstra by promoting him to Sergeant.
"Derek demonstrates everything that we want in a deputy. Hard work and dedication are just some of the key things, and Derek is the kind of person I want to be a leader in our Sheriff's Office," said Sheriff Booker.
Hamstra has been with the Sheriff's Office for over 9 years.