Mahtomedi SRO saves choking woman during school Europe trip
Pictured is Deputy Kelly Olson (right) and a woman whose life she saved (left) while in Germany. (Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriffs Office) (Supplied)
(FOX 9) - A Washington County Deputy and school resource officer is being praised for saving a woman's life during a trip to Europe.
The sheriff’s office shared the heroic encounter in a Facebook post on Monday. While chaperoning a Mahtomedi Public Schools High School trip, Deputy Kelly Olson was at a hotel in Munich, Germany, when she noticed a woman choking during breakfast.
Deputy Olson performed the Heimlich maneuver, which cleared the woman’s airway, saving her life. After the ordeal, the two women took a picture, and the sheriff’s office noted she was "incredibly grateful."
Olson is a dedicated member of the Washington County community. She not only serves as a deputy with the sheriff’s office and the SRO for Mahtomedi, but she is also the school’s junior varsity volleyball coach.
As part of "Spike Leukemia Night" in October 2023, Olson cut off 10 inches of her hair for a pediatric wig donation. It was extra meaningful for the student who cut Olson’s hair because at one point during her own cancer treatments, she lost her hair.
"I have coached Morgan in softball and volleyball for the last three years and she is an amazing person who always has a smile on her face no matter what," said Olson at the time. "Yeah, I have got goosebumps right now."