MONROE — After more than two decades on the job at Green County’s jail, Deputy Sara Conway says she, like many of her colleagues, develop a sixth sense-type awareness of their surroundings and the inmates they watch over.
And it’s that sense that led her and another correctional officer to save a man’s life in 2021. They were among many deputies recently honored by Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud and The Green County Board for commendation awards from incidents that happened over the past year.
The incident for which Conway received the lifesaving award involved deputy Scott Ellefson and happened on July 7, according to Skatrud.
That’s when Ellefson approached Conway with concerns about an inmate’s welfare, having just returned a prisoner to the Huber dorm for work-release inmates. He mentioned that something was rather odd about the inmate’s behavior that he had just left.
“He had that gut feeling about an inmate,” she said. “So he went back to check.”
Upon arrival back in the dorm, Ellefson found the inmate hanging by a bedsheet in an attempt to end his own life.
It happened that fast, Conway said. Yet Somehow, Ellefson managed to immediately support the inmate’s weight with his arms and radio Conway to bring a rescue knife to the scene. Conway said she then grabbed the knife and ran over as fast as she could and together, they cut the inmate down and summoned medical assistance.
Other commendations and awards issued to Green County Sheriff’s Deputies include:
● Jan. 9 2021 — Honored Sgt. Cody Kanable, Lt. John Schuetz, Det. Betsy Krantz Det. Curtis Erdmann and Det Chris Fiez for their actions “above and beyond expectations related to a missing child emergency that became a homicide investigation in which an infant was later found dead.”
● Feb. 14, 2021 — Honored Kanable again for his actions when, during an assist on a Monroe Medical call, he performed life-saving CPR along with local EMS units. Kanable also assisted the man’s family. He received the lifesaving award.
● Oct. 6, 2021 — Honored deputy Derek Whitcomb for his quick action in responding to a possible overdose. After administering the life-saving drug NARCAN he was able to reverse the fatal effects of an opiate-related overdose. He was presented with the lifesaving ward
● March 2021 — Honored Det. Erdmann was again recognized for many months of work on drug cases as part of the Stateline Anti-Narcotics Task Force (SLANT), through which over $280,000 worth of drugs were seized. He received the sheriff’ commendation award.
● Nov. 4 2021 — Honored Deputy Melisa Richardson for her actions while booking an inmate into the Electronic Monitoring program when the man began suffering from some type of diabetic distress and began to convulse. She quickly fed the man whose blood sugar was found to be very low and monitored him until he recovered. She received the sheriff’ commendation.
● November 9, 2021 — Zackary Anderson was honored for saving an opiate overdose victim using NARCAN. For his response to the call, which began as a verbal altercation, he also received the life-saving award.