Gov. Greg Abbott presented the Star of Texas Awards to the extraordinary few first-responders who’ve demonstrated the character and courage to repeatedly put their lives on the line for public safety at a ceremony held Sept. 10 in Austin.
This year’s recipients from the Odessa Police Department were James Santana and Teddy Yelley. Both officers were severely injured in the line of duty in 2019 while bravely protecting the people of Odessa.
Santana sustained his injuries while responding to the Aug. 31, 2019 mass shooting. In a separate incident, Yelley was struck by a vehicle earlier that year, but fought through his pain to help protect and serve on Aug. 31, 2019.
