Deputies' quick thinking saves inmate

Miller County Sheriff Jackie Runion, right, presents a certificate of appreciation to deputies Sgt. Alan Sanders and Cpls. Don Rodgers and Richard Henderson. The men received the honor for saving the life of an inmate on Oct. 31. (Submitted photo)
Miller County Sheriff Jackie Runion, right, presents a certificate of appreciation to deputies Sgt. Alan Sanders and Cpls. Don Rodgers and Richard Henderson. The men received the honor for saving the life of an inmate on Oct. 31. (Submitted photo)

Miller County Sheriff's Office detention deputies were honored recently for saving an inmate's life.

Sgt. Alan Sanders was conducting a security check on Oct. 31 when he found a male inmate hanging in his cell by a bed sheet. The inmate was turning blue from lack of air.

The detention center emergency protocol was immediately initiated, said MCSO Chief Deputy Mike McQuerrey. Cpls. Don Rodgers and Richard Henderson and licensed vocational nurse Chelsea Foster responded. 

The man was cut free from the bed sheet and given first aid. He survived but was left with a burn around his throat from hanging.

The inmate was put in the jail's emergency mental health program, where he has gotten extensive professional mental health assistance.

Sheriff Jackie Runion presented the deputies with a certificate of appreciation for their attention to detail and their quick and decisive action in saving the man's life. Runion also commended Warden Jeffie Walker for implementing the detailed and comprehensive plan that ensured the man's rescue.

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