Boy honored for helping save father

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

April 13, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

Jumping into water puddles and scooping slushy snow with an orange toy shovel to throw at imaginary targets in his yard, 6-year-old Justin Trego was oblivious to reporters and others, including Beltrami County Sheriff DeeWayne Rognstad, who gathered at his home Friday.

However, his father, Matt Trego, knew exactly why the small group was at the Liberty Township home just south of Pony Lake -- to honor his son for his part in possibly saving his life.

About two weeks ago, while playing in his yard, Justin found his father unconscious in the family's garage and ran to find help, having to go to two houses before finding someone who called 911.

In a small ceremony Friday, Rognstad presented the boy with a letter of appreciation for his efforts and a certificate for his knowledge of what to do in an emergency situation.

His actions earned him recognition as an honorary sheriff's deputy, Rognstad said, and made his father "very proud."

On March 27 at about 1:15 p.m., Matt Trego was in his garage mixing cement.

Trego said he started to feel dizzy, but passed it off because he had felt similar feelings before with nothing ever happening. The next thing he remembers is waking up "really confused" on the couch in the family's trailer house and noticing his son was not around.

He got up and walked out of the house looking for his son, and was met at the end of the house's sidewalk by a First Responder. Trego was given oxygen and later taken to North Country Regional Hospital for tests.

Apparently, during the 30 minutes or so he was blacked out, Trego said Justin had found him lying unconscious in the garage and ran next door for help. Being no one was home at the first house, his son rand down the road to the next house at which someone called 911.

"We've been teaching him over the last few years about 911 and what to do if there was an emergency," Trego said. "I'm extremely proud of him. We kind of taught him that if something was wrong to find someone, but I think he picks it up naturally. He just knew something was wrong."

According to Matt Trego, Justin is aware of what he did and knows he might have saved his life.

Trego added that a couple of weeks ago, while on vacation, he had to jump into the deep end of the pool to save Justin, who cannot swim.

"Yesterday, he said, 'Yep, dad, you saved my life, and I saved yours," Trego said. "I said, 'Yep, you're right on the money.'"

Rognstad's letter states: "Please let me commend you for the outstanding job you did in helping to rescue your father and for knowing the right thing to do."

While putting a junior sheriff's sticker on Justin's coat, Rognstad added the boy was now an honorary member of the sheriff's office.

Trego said blood tests the day of the incident reported nothing wrong with him, and said hospital staff assured him it could be just a fluke event.

"I'll be fine," he said. "The hospital is running all the necessary tests." Justin had more important things -- such as water and snow -- to attend to than to waste time with reporters.