Retired Grand Chute police lieutenant and supervisor Todd Zolkowski still has pain from injuries he sustained in a theft he investigated.
He was pinned in a car door and dragged by the shoplifting suspect. Nearly one year later, he shared his story with NBC26.
“He started squealing backwards and I was hanging on and got dragged for a short distance and then ended up getting pulled underneath the driver's door," Zolkowski said.
In just 13 seconds, the former officer's life changed forever.
"This obviously was a huge impact, because it very much limited what I could do every day," Zolkowski said.
The 51-year-old retired officer looked back on his 30-year career through the pages of his scrapbook. His numerous accolades, including Wisconsin's Officer of the Year, brought a smile to his face.
He planned to retire on his own terms in a couple of years, but a suspicious person call last July changed everything.
"I think I had just got in duty for 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. shift," Zolkowski said. “We got an attempt to locate for a vehicle that was involved in a retail theft.”
He said the call was for a theft at the Walmart in Neenah.
"When they ran the plate number, it came back stolen," he said.
That evening Zolkowski was called to assist an officer at Pawn America in Grand Chute. Zolkowski said after fingerprinting the theft suspect, later identified as Michael Lawrenz, he jumped into a squad car and sped off.
"I had him by his head and his neck area and I was trying to pull him out and I was yelling at him," Zolkowski said. "I could see him playing with the shift lever. He's trying to get it in reverse and finally did get it in reverse."
Zolkowski was trapped.
"My head and my neck, the neck area, and actually the shoulder got caught in the door and ripped back so I went down on the ground," he said.
Zolkowski said other officers fired 20 gunshots. Lawrenz was hit by a bullet, but it wasn't enough to stop him from taking off, later carjacking a woman’s car, and leading police on a high speed chase into Brown County.
Lawrenz was sentenced in February to 12.5 years behind bars.
At his sentence hearing, Michael Lawrenz said:
"First of all, I'd like to apologize to the officers that were involved. I'm sorry that I put you in the danger that I did. It should've never happened. I spend every day of my life regretting that I did that."
For Zolkowski and his family, life will never be the same.
"My children, they were at a social event that night, and they got through social media and a phone call, saying ‘dad's been shot’ go to the hospital,” said Zolkowski.
Thankfully Zolkowski was not shot, but he did suffer injuries to his neck, shoulder and back during the Pawn America incident.
He's undergone surgery and is going through physical therap. The activities he loved. like golfing, now nearly impossible.
"It’s not the way I wanted to, obviously, end my career,” said Zolkowski.
After his injuries forced him into an early retirement, Zolkowski said he misses his co-workers and serving the community.
"I didn't know how I was going to feel about it at first, with knowing that this is it, you're done after 30 years, that's all you've done is law enforcement and so it was hard at first,” Zolkowski said.
He's now focusing on moving forward by keeping the memories he made on the force close to his heart and remembering all the lives he touched during a career that ended too soon.
Lt. Zolkowski said he looks forward to hopefully recovering and spending time with his first grandchild, who is expected to arrive next month.
