Ohio deputy delivers baby in back seat of car

Southwest Ohio sheriff's deputy delivers Christmas Eve baby in back seat of car

12/28/2012

TRENTON, Ohio — A southwest Ohio sheriff's deputy made a special delivery on Christmas Eve.

Arriving at a gas station parking lot to find a woman in labor, Butler County Deputy David Runnells delivered a healthy baby in the back seat of a car.

Runnells, a 17-year veteran and trained EMT, says the delivery Monday night was his first.

The Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/W4jAFR ) reports the mother, Heather Fitzgerald, went into labor, and she and boyfriend Steve Holt realized they didn't have time to get to a hospital. A 911 dispatcher told them to pull over at a gas station and wait for paramedics.

Runnells arrived and delivered Gracie Rae Holt.

Runnells, the father of two grown children, described the experience as “beautiful.”

Holt called the deputy a godsend.

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com