8-Year-Old Emmalyn Prior Recognized for Heroism During Council Meeting
| By Jennifer Bailey
Staff Writer | Clifton Forge, VA (Aug. 12, 2025)— At the start of the August 2025 Clifton Forge Town Council Meeting, an 8-year-old hero was honored by Police Chief Scott Balser. Her name? Emmalynn Prior.
According to Balser, at around 7:00 p.m. on the evening of June 15, 2025, 90-year-old Mildred Johnson took a fall behind her garage while attempting to take out the trash. Unable to get back to her feet, Johnson called out for help. "She'd been on the ground for a little while," said Balser. "Little miss Emmalynn Prior here, she's eight years old, doing what any other 8-year-old would be doing on a summer night, riding her bicycle. She heard Miss Mildred calling for help, so she took it upon herself to check on her..."
Afterwards, Prior rushed to tell her mother what happened who then was able to get some help out for Johnson. Johnson was treated for a gash on her forehead, but was otherwise okay.
"If she [Emmalynn Prior] had not heard her [Mildred Johnson] yelling for help, there's no telling how long she could have been laying on the ground and could have had a far worse outcome," Chief Balser stated Tuesday night.
It was then Balser presented Prior with the "Young Hero Award" in the presence of her neighbor, Mildred Johnson, who quickly rushed to plant a kiss on her young rescuer's forehead before posing for a few photos.
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