Thurston Sheriff recognizes staff for preventing suicide attempt, assisting elderly woman
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders this month announced commendations and life-saving awards for several of his staff who prevented a suicide attempt at the jail and assisted an elderly resident over the summer.
On Aug. 4, Deputy Sadee Jones and Sgt. Howard Reynolds were dispatched to a call in the county where they found an elderly woman living in extremely poor conditions.
The woman had recently been released from the hospital and had not eaten in days, according to the Sheriff’s Office. That prompted Reynolds to go shopping for her while Jones stayed at the scene.
The woman ultimately needed to be taken back to the hospital, but she expressed concern over leaving her residence because of a broken door lock, so Reynolds went back to the grocery store and a hardware store.
Meanwhile, Jones stayed after her shift to clean the woman’s house, do laundry, and sanitize the residence, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Reynolds and Jones then returned to the woman’s residence on their own time to fix a leaking sink, replace light bulbs, and repair the broken lock.
Jones also followed up with Adult Protective Services and the state Department of Social and Health Services to coordinate post-treatment care for the woman once she was released from the hospital.
Both Jones and Reynolds received a certificate of commendation.
“Deputy Jones and Sgt. Reynolds exemplary service to vulnerable persons in need speaks to the level of dedication they bring to work with them every night,” said Sheriff Sanders in a statement.
Lt. Dave Rodgers, Deputy Jacob Metra, Deputy Saige Morgan, Deputy Ricardo Samonte and Deputy Trenton Lapp, all of whom work in the Corrections Bureau, received life-saving awards for resolving an incident on July 16.
On that date, they found an incarcerated man in his 40s attempting to hang himself with a “makeshift ligature,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.
“Deputies were able to grab ahold of the individual and lift him up to provide relief while another deputy cut the ligature off before providing life-saving measures while medics responded,” a news release reads.
“As the jail continues to remain the largest mental health facility in our county, it is the quick, decisive actions of our corrections deputies that prevented what would have been a tragic death within our facility,” Sheriff Sanders said.
