A string of emotional incidents last year tested Kalispell Police Officer Justin Turner's resilience. 

Within a span of weeks, 41-year-old Turner managed the aftermath of a shocking alleged murder-suicide, saved his young son from nearly drowning, and oversaw the response to a fiery plane wreck. Though the traumatic experiences were difficult to process, his ability to persevere and remain a steady leader throughout ultimately culminated in receiving one of Montana law enforcement's highest honors: the Montana Officer of the Year award.  

Kalispell Police Chief Jordan Venezio nominated Turner for the award, which he received in June from the Montana Police Protective Association and the Montana Association of Chiefs of Police. A month earlier, he was also named Officer of the Year by the local Lions Club.   

Turner was the first officer to enter the Werner Peak Trail home on the morning of May 11, 2025, after a father allegedly killed his wife and two young children before taking his own life.  

Following a suspicious call to dispatch from Nicholas Olson-Hartley — who investigators believe was responsible for the slayings — Turner and other officers went to the house. He was training a new recruit at the time.   

The doors and windows were locked, and without prominent evidence, Turner said that they wouldn't break in. That is, until he peered through a window and could barely make out the foot of someone lying still on the ground.  

Turner said he was terrified as he entered the home, stepping over the father's body after he made his way inside.  

"I started replaying what [Olson-Hartley] had said in the 911 call, and all of it started to come together at that point," Turner said.  “I was just praying that the kids weren’t there ... but deep down, I knew.”  

After officers split up to search the house, Turner turned a corner to find the youngest child's body. His heart sank. The sight was especially painful because his own daughter was the same age at the time.  

“Stuffed animals everywhere in the room, everything’s pink, and it was just like seeing my daughter. So that was super challenging to go through,” Turner said.  

Though he struggled to maintain his composure, Turner knew he needed to stay calm for the other officers. To steady himself, he relied on the box-breathing technique used in high-stress situations.   

“That’s a once-in-a-lifetime call. It took a lot to maintain composure,” he said.  

Turner was the scene supervisor on the case, giving orders, securing the crime scene, phoning in detectives and notifying affected family members, which he said is always a struggle for him.  

“I want to hold them, and I just want to give them a big hug. It’s hard,” he said.  

Fortunately, Turner found support from the Police Department to help him process such an intense event. He was thankful for a program they offer to help officers debrief critical incidents.  

“That was really huge to be able to go through that stuff and really kind of process everything,” he said. “I am very thankful for the department in that regard.”  

“It’s still one of those calls that’s always going to be with you. You’re never not going to be able to think about something like that,” he said.  

Turner said part of him was grateful to be the first officer inside because it spared his fellow officers from seeing the scene first.  

FOUR WEEKS later, Turner was faced with another life-altering event, this time while off-duty at a kid's birthday party with his wife and three children.  

Turner was playing in a pool with his 2- and 6-year-old when he heard a blood-curdling scream. He turned to see a lady dragging a lifeless body from the water. Within a second, he realized it was his 4-year-old son.  

His son wasn't breathing and had no pulse. Turner immediately began administering CPR, and his son regained consciousness within around three minutes.  

After spending a night in intensive care, Turner's son eventually made a full recovery. However, the incident lingered in Turner's mind.  

“That's one that's stuck with me a little bit," he said. "I just had to show up to work here, a couple days later and just keep working like nothing happened.”  

Just a couple of weeks later, a small plane crashed at Kalispell City Airport, skidding across the runway in a fiery wreck that damaged several parked aircraft. Turner was put in charge of the response, handling media outlets, working with the Federal Aviation Administration, and assessing the thousands of dollars in damage caused by the crash.  

“That was just a super chaotic scene,” Turner said. 

Turner said he was shocked that the pilot and three passengers walked away unharmed.  

DESPITE THE series of life-changing events within such a short span of time, Turner said he never wavered on whether he had chosen the right line of work. Instead, he thinks it strengthened his motivation.  

“There is a reason God put me on this Earth and put me in this position,” Turner said. 

Even before he got involved in law enforcement, Turner was always drawn to leadership positions.   

Turner grew up in the Flathead Valley and graduated from Columbia Falls High School. After attending college in Wyoming, he returned to the area shortly after earning his degree.  

He worked in construction until 2008, when he was hired as a supervisor for a fracking crew at an oil field in North Dakota. After five years in the field, he was itching to start a family but couldn't keep traveling back and forth between the Flathead and North Dakota every two weeks.  

Turner said he's always been drawn to law enforcement.  

“I really don’t enjoy seeing people get taken advantage of, thefts, frauds, especially if it’s like elderly or incapacitated people,” he said.  

He had previously applied to the Missoula Police Department but wasn't hired. When he applied to the Kalispell Police Department in 2015, he was surprised to finish third out of 50 candidates and earn a spot on the force.  

Turner started out as a school resource officer, where he particularly enjoyed mentoring middle schoolers.  

“You actually have the opportunity to truly change somebody’s behavior and somebody’s life going forward,” Turner said.    

After around a decade on the force, Turner said he was humbled to be honored in Helena as Officer of the Year.  

"To go down there and experience it, and have my family there, and my best friend. It was just a great experience to be able to go through that," Turner said. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support. 

Correction: A sentence saying that Turner was the third officer to receive that award has been taken out of the story. Turner is one of several Kalispell officers who have received the award of the years, including Master Patrol officer Cory Clarke in 2019.