Prince William County Police Department

Chief Peter Newsham received the 2025 Special Olympics Virginia Diamond Award as 2024 State Chair of the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR). The Diamond Award is presented for exceptional fundraising. Chief Newsham, helming Virginia’s program in 2024, raised $1.9 million statewide. 
 

Sergeant Sean Weddel received the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award from POST 1503 (Dale City) of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). He was recognized for excellence in leadership regarding motor vehicle larcenies.

Officer Celine Wykowski received a Law Enforcement Award of Excellence for “outstanding commitment in the fight against drunk driving in the Greater Washington area” from the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP). This is her first WRAP award!

First Sergeant Whitney Lanier earned this award, which annually recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) skills and an exceptional ability to train and convey the core objectives of CIT.

Detectives Jaron Dalbeck and Scott Seymour were named the 2025 investigators of the year at the VHIA conference on Oct. 3, 2025. They were recognized for their work on the Egypt Carter homicide case last year.

Lieutenant Shawn Peak and Detective Colleen Grantham were recognized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) with its SHIELD Award at a ceremony in June 2025 for their outstanding actions and investigation into the Park Valley Church incident in 2023. The ADL – one of the nation’s oldest civil rights and human relations organizations – confers its SHIELD Award on “law enforcement heroes who have protected our nation and communities from hate crimes and terrorist threats.”

Seventy-seven members of the Prince William County Police Department received 2025 Valor Awards from the Prince William Chamber of Commerce at a May ceremony. Master Police Officer Garrett Gourlay and Officers James Bocompani, Nicholas Brown*, Michael Butera, Ethan Hughart, Khristine White and Jason Williams received Silver Awards for Valor. Master Police Officer John Walsh and Officers Taylor Craddock, Timotheos Diamantis, Jose Feliciano Martinez, Jenna Hunter, Sean Jones and Landan Kitis received Bronze Awards for Valor. First Sergeants William Franks and Edward Petke*; Sergeants Nicholas Waymire and Sean Weddel; Master Police Officers Timothy Horn, Aaron Lintz and John Walsh; and Officers John Bailey, James Brent, Mario Centeno, Andrew Chance, Tiffany Gomez Melendez, Monique Greer, Spencer Heinz, Luke Henderson, Luke Irvin, Christopher Kelly, Joseph Keyser, Kyle Kramer, Fernando Meitzler Cruz, Hugh Moffitt, Leroy Myrie, Joshua Rowe, David Staton, Robert Theimer, Zara Tirrell and Nicholas Wowak received Merit Awards for Valor. Lieutenant Brandon Haas; First Sergeants Joshua Grand, Kenneth Jenkins, Alexander McMillan and Jarrod Yost; Sergeants Brandon Hunt, Brian McCleese and Sean Weddel; Master Police Officers Brian Cody, Alexander Cordner and Corey Morrell; Detectives Ramon Alfaro, Simon Chu, Stephen Cieslinski, David Clark, Nicholas Colella, Victor Cordero, Darien Cupka, Jaron Dalbeck, Chad Gourlay, Colleen Grantham, Andrew Jackson, Anthony Javid, Donanthony King, Luke Lambdin, Joshua Lane, Israel Perla, Nader Qura, Eliann Rivera Diaz, Andres Sanz-Guerrero, Daniel Sekely, Scott Seymour and Wayne Smith; and Officers John Bailey, Mario Centeno, Andrew Chance, Anthony Gallegos, Luke Henderson, Christopher Kelly, Joseph Keyser, Jacob Kopfensteiner, Jessica Lopez, Hugh Moffitt, Leroy Myrie, Tyler Randall, and David Staton; Senior Public Safety Analyst Amy Corbin; and Crime Scene Specialists Andrea Feldman and Joseph Restino received Hillary Robinette Awards for Integrity in Investigative Work.
* indicates the member has since retired or otherwise separated service with the Department after the time in which the events the awards are recognizing took place.
 

First Sergeant Ashley Gwinn and Detective Nathaniel Mazzini were honored with the state level Law Enforcement Award from the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). They received the award at a ceremony in April for their investigative work on a June 2023 vehicle theft/officer-involved-shooting incident