August 17, 2020 3:20 a.m.

Officials with Douglas County government are saluting a Sheriff’s Deputy who they say went above and beyond the call of duty to help a fellow veteran and make sure he had a safe place to spend the night.

A release said on Thursday August 6th at around 7:30 p.m. Deputy Bryanna Oelrich was dispatched to the Dillard Store to contact an elderly man who had been sitting outside for about four hours. She recognized the man as Robert Pelcha, a United States Marine Corps veteran from the Keizer area, with whom she had had contact with the previous week. The first time she met him, she noticed he was standing at attention, which tipped her off to his military background.

The release said Oelrich gave the man a courtesy ride to retrieve his lost cell phone and spoke with his family after using his phone to call a family friend. That evening, Oelrich spent hours trying to make arrangements for a place for the man to stay as he awaited his family’s arrival the next morning. Ultimately, she was not able to find a safe location.

Deputy Oelrich, herself a U.S. Air Force veteran, made it her mission to find a safe place for Pelcha to spend the night. She bought him dinner and gave him a ride to the Holiday Inn, where she secured a room for him. Oelrich paid for the meal and motel room out of her own pocket.

Undersheriff Jeff Frieze said DCSO “…is extremely proud of Deputy Bryanna Oelrich’s compassionate and generous actions”. He said she helped a fellow citizen, a fellow veteran in need, “…for all the right reasons”.

Commissioner Chris Boice said the Board is “…especially proud of first responders like Deputy Bryanna Oelrich, who demonstrate that treating others with respect and dignity comes above all else”. Boice said he hopes this story “…inspires everyone to join in and perform random acts of kindness in our communities”.

Deputy Oelrich joined DCSO in January after serving with the City of Roseburg and Roseburg VA police departments.