A Starke County Community Corrections officer was honored with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department Life Saving Award Thursday morning.
Officer Alyssa Cook was presented with an award and a life saving insignia for helping to resuscitate an inmate in the jail following a reported overdose.
Jail Warden Phill Cherry said Cook and three officers took quick action.
“We had a male and female arrested on September 28th and they came in around 9 a.m., ate their lunch, and then at about 1:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. the female started showing signs of distress. Jail officers moved her out of the holding cell. Miss Cook was here interviewing somebody for Community Corrections and they started doing CPR. They hit her with, I believe, four shots of NARCAN. By then, she came around, the ambulance came and she was taken to the hospital. The four of them really did a great job.”
In a brief ceremony Thursday morning at the Starke County Justice Center, Jail Commander Nathan Caudill recounted Cook’s heroic actions and presented her with the award.
“Miss Cook, here’s the Life Saving Award along with the Life Saving Pin. We at the Sheriff’s Department appreciate your actions,” announced Caudill.
Cook was surrounded by her colleagues as she was honored for this action. The other three officers who were involved in the effort will be honored tomorrow evening during the staff’s holiday gathering.
