MOBERLY, Mo. — A Missouri corrections sergeant is being nationally recognized after she risked her own life to save a 13-year-old girl from a dog attack.
Moberly Correctional Center Sgt. Julie Teague has been named a recipient of the 2025 Gold National Medal of Honor from One Voice United, a corrections organization that honors correctional professionals from across the country.
According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, Teague was off duty at her home in Randolph County when she heard screaming coming from a neighboring yard. She saw that a 13-year-old girl was being attacked by the neighbor’s dogs, called 911 and grabbed a baseball bat before running to help.
Teague used the bat to fight off the dogs long enough for the girl to escape to a nearby trailer, the DOC said. The dogs then turned on Teague.
The girl was taken to the University of Missouri Hospital with multiple lacerations and puncture wounds. Teague was treated at Moberly Regional Medical Center.
The honor follows another recognition Teague received last spring, when the Missouri Department of Corrections presented her with the Director’s Award of Valor.
“As a result of Julie’s selfless act and willingness to put herself in harm’s way without hesitation ... the young girl survived her life-changing ordeal,” MCC Major Marcus Groza, who nominated Teague for the department award, said in a statement. “The actions on the part of Sergeant Teague exemplify bravery, courage, commitment to human life and loyalty to the community.”
At the Award of Valor ceremony, Teague reflected on the lasting impact of that day.
“There’s a strong likelihood my actions saved a life that day,” Teague told the audience. “And though my actions left me with wounds, and those wounds have now turned to scars, it is my honor to say that I wear the scars of a good neighbor.”
Teague is one of six corrections professionals from across the United States set to be honored May 1 at an awards banquet in Atlantic City, which will cap a three-day conference.
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