A pair of corrections officers with the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Department, along with a nurse at the jail, recently received Letters of Commendation after they worked to save the life of a female inmate suffering from an apparent overdose earlier this month.
According to a press release from the Hamblen County Sheriff’s Department, on the morning of Saturday, September 10, there was an overdose incident in the female section of the jail in which an inmate was found unresponsive and without a pulse – due to ingesting contraband which had been smuggled into the lockup area.
Jail staff took immediate action, administering Narcan, and performing CPR. The inmate was rushed to the hospital and was released the same day.
Chief Deputy Bob Ellis says, had staff not administered CPR, the Narcan likely would not have worked in resusciatation efforts. The Letters of Commendation were to honor Officer Cassie Bell, Officer Angela Hodge, and Nurse Brandy Klein.
Sheriff Chad Mullins noted “I’m proud of how quickly and proficiently they handled what could have been a disasterous situation.”
The sheriff also said the smuggling of contraband into the jail is one of the issues at the top of his list to be corrected. Jail staff is in training on a body scanner recently purchased by the county, to be used in deterrent efforts of illegal contraband.