Lancaster police officer Kobie Reed has been named Central Ohio Crime Stoppers Officer of the Year after rescuing a five-year-old girl from a fire that killed her parents and infant brother. The Lancaster Police Department announced the regional honor in a Facebook post.
The department said the girl’s father passed her to Reed through a second-story window. Reed then climbed a 30-foot ladder and carried her to safety as smoke and fire conditions worsened, according to the post.
A separate account from ABC6 On Your Side, citing witnesses, described the handoff at a third-floor window and said neighbors brought the extension ladder. That report described the recipient as an officer; the department identified Reed. The accounts differ on the window’s floor and the ladder details, and have not been independently reconciled.
The family and the investigation
ABC6 reported that the fire killed 27-year-old Mason Marshall, his fiancée, 26-year-old Nicole Woodman, and their nine-month-old son, Mason Junior. Their daughter, Rowyn, survived and was not injured, the station reported.
ABC6 reported that investigators were working to determine how the fire started. The accounts available here do not provide a final cause or establish whether smoke alarms were present or working.
Award and fire-safety context
The department said Reed joined Lancaster police in July 2022 and has served on its drone team and Special Response Team, as well as as a field training officer. Its award announcement did not describe the selection process. In a separate example of the organization’s recognition of officers, NBC4 reported that Columbus Police Officer Douglas McClain received Central Ohio Crime Stoppers’ law enforcement officer of the year award at the group’s annual breakfast in Columbus on Oct. 29, 2025. That report provides a point of comparison, not details about how Reed was selected.
For broader context, the U.S. Fire Administration lists the 2023 national average at 5.8 deaths and 19.7 injuries per 1,000 residential structure fires. That national benchmark is not an Ohio trend and cannot explain the circumstances of the Lancaster fire.
For residents seeking help obtaining a smoke detector, Lancaster’s official website directs them to the American Red Cross at 844-207-4509.
