Officer Leonard Pegues was named the Olive Branch Police Department’s Officer of the Month for April 2026 after helping save a resident who had threatened suicide, the department said.
Officers were dispatched to a residence after family members received alarming messages indicating the subject planned to harm themselves after sunset, the department’s announcement said. The subject had left the home before police arrived.
The department said Pegues gathered vehicle information and used an information system to track the person. Through proactive patrol and attention to detail, he located the vehicle and the individual within the city. The person was contacted, interviewed and transported to Baptist DeSoto for evaluation and also spoke with a Crisis Intervention Team officer, the post said.
The department said Pegues’ persistence likely prevented a tragedy and praised his “professionalism, initiative and compassion.” The recognition was posted on the City of Olive Branch government page and signed by Mayor Ken Adams, the department said.
