MCSO Deputy Honored for Homeless Veteran Rescue in Bradenton

Deputy Daniel Ensign and Resource Assistance Case Manager Wanda Alejandre received the 2025 MCSO Bealls Humanitarian Award for their work helping individuals in crisis.

Sheriff Rick Wells and Stephen Hall, Bealls Division Vice President of Loss Prevention, presented the award at a ceremony in Bradenton.

The pair's efforts centered on an elderly homeless veteran struggling with alcoholism. Ensign found the man behind a business, seated in his walker. After the veteran agreed to seek help, Ensign contacted Alejandre, and they enrolled him in the Salvation Army program and secured his placement in an assisted living facility in Sarasota.

Within 48 hours of his arrival, Alejandre coordinated screening and acceptance into the facility. When homeless individuals later attempted to access the man's bank accounts, Ensign and Alejandre took him to the bank to obtain new cards and update his financial information.

Months after settling into the facility, the veteran's health declined. Ensign and Alejandre visited him regularly during hospice care until his death, maintaining contact even after his family declined to visit.