HEROIC DEED BY INMATE

A McAllen man could be rewarded with a shortened federal prison
sentence for jumping into freezing water in an unsuccessful attempt to
rescue the driver of a crashed pickup truck.

Noe Cortez, 47, and another inmate, both serving terms at the St.
Anthony, Idaho, work camp for drug crimes, were working at a landfill
on Dec. 29 when a pickup crashed upside down into a canal.

Both men jumped into the water. One of the driver's legs was caught
under the dashboard, but the two inmates managed to pull him free.

Police officers were unable to revive the motorist.

The two men may apply for sentence reductions under a state law that
recognizes inmates who perform "an extraordinary act of heroism." A
decision would be up to the corrections department director.

Cortez has served more than six years of a 20-year term, and has a
tentative parole date in 2003.