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ECSO Honors Road Prison Corrections Officer That Died After Saving Inmate

A corrections officer that died after  working to save a suicidal inmate was among those honored during an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office award ceremony Tuesday afternoon.

Joe Heddy Jr. died from a heart attack while trying to save the inmate’s life on June 17.

“He suffered a fatal heart attack after struggling with an inmate,” Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. “He had responded to a cell at the Escambia County Road Prison in Cantonment after an inmate tied a bedsheet around his own neck and was tightening it in an attempt to commit suicide. He called for assistance and began to struggle with the inmate in an attempt to remove the bedsheet. The inmate continued to resist until officers were able to remove the bedsheet and subdue him.

“Officer Heddy then packed up the inmate’s belongings before calling for assistance on the radio and collapsing. Other officers initiated CPR but were unable to resuscitate him. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Officer Heddy reflect great credit upon himself, the corrections profession and the criminal justice system, Morgan said, presenting the department’s Medal of Courage to Heddy’s widow, Jill Heddy.

Also during the ceremony, a Lifesaving Medal was presented to deputies Matt Howell and Bryan Barton.

According to Morgan, the deputies responded to a call involving a mental health problem.

“The victim had a large laceration to his left forearm which was spurting blood from an arterial injury. The victim was armed with a knife and a screwdriver and told deputies he had a firearm. He warned Deputies Barton and Howell that if they came any closer that he would shoot them. The victim was losing a lot of blood fast, so Deputies Barton and Howell needed to act quickly. Deputy Barton made the decision to utilize his TASER which allowed Deputy Howell to restrain the victim and apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. The victim was transported to a hospital. An emergency room doctor advised that if the tourniquet had not been applied when it was, the victim would not have survived,” Morgan said.

FDLE Agents Brian Whittaker, Mike Jankowski and Chris Williams were commended for the roles they played in assisting the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office in closing homicides last March on Klondike Road and Citrus Avenue.

Sgt. Kevin Coxwell, an investigator, was recognized for closing a 10-year old cold case homicide with an arrest.

On July 26, 2007, Barry Shipp was killed inside his barber shop. The homicide happened after what appeared to be a robbery. A year later, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement identified Demarcus Ledent as a foreign DNA contributor. Ledent denied ever having contact with the victim.

The case went cold for seven years, until Sgt. Coxwell received a call from FDLE that a source was willing to provide information on the case. During an interview with that source, Coxwell learned that Ledent was in fact at the scene of the crime, had robbed the victim first, and had also shot himself during a struggle before going to Mobile for treatment.

Coxwell learned that an individual who identified himself as Ledent’s brother reported to a Mobile hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound during that time period. The man told hospital staff he was robbed in Mobile

On December 16, 2016, Ledent was arrested on unrelated charges in Spokane, WA. Coxwell contacted the arresting officer, who took photos showing scarring to Ledent’s right knee. Ledent told the officer that he had been shot and had surgery years earlier. Coxwell traveled to Louisiana and located Ledent’s brother who stated that he had never been shot or received treatment in Mobile.

Coxwell discovered that seven shell casings were located at the scene of the homicide as well as five projectiles. The sixth projectile was removed from the victim during the autopsy and the seventh from Ledent’s leg at the hospital. These projectiles accounted for every shot fired during the robbery

On January 6, 2017, Coxwell was able to obtain a warrant for the arrest of Demarcus Ledent, for first degree premeditated murder.

Dispatcher Karen Jones was named Law Enforcement Employee of the First Quarter. A woman in Pennsylvania credited Jones for helping to save her daughter in Cantonment from a domestic violence situation.

A Civilian Service Medal was presented to the staff of staff at Scenic Hills Veterinary Clinic.

On January 19, 2017, ECSO Deputies were en route to the Escambia County Jail when they saw a large dog attacking a small dog and its owner. Deputies Robert Greene and Jose Oliveras engaged the attacking dog to stop further injury to the small dog and its owner.

The small Dachshund suffered several lacerations around its midsection. Deputy Greene asked the dog’s owner if he needed a ride to the vet office to get his dog treated. The dog’s owner told deputies that he didn’t have the money to have the dog treated. Deputy Greene offered to take the dog to the vet and cover the cost. The dog’s owner agreed.

Deputy Jose Oliveras placed the injured dog in the rear of the patrol car as a second person approached them. A second small dog, a Chihuahua, had been attacked by the same large dog and was bleeding from lacerations to the neck and midsection. The second owner, a double amputee, was also unable to afford the cost of vet care. Deputy Greene asked her if he could take her dog to the vet and he would pay for the costs. She agreed.

Deputy Oliveras placed the second dog in the patrol vehicle and Deputies Greene and Oliveras drove the dogs to Scenic Hills Veterinary Clinic. The staff of the clinic triaged the two dogs and placed them in the rear. Deputy Greene told the staff that he would be responsible for the cost.

Later, Deputy Greene received a call from the Scenic Hills Vet staff that the dogs would make a full recovery. When he arrived at the clinic to pick the dogs up, he was informed the bill was paid in full by the clinic. The clinic also provided medicine at no cost.

Other awards and recognitions included:

• Scenic Hill Hills Veterinary Clinic owner Greg Strand, veterinarians Mark Royer and Lisa Beitler, Manager Ryan Mitchell and Supervisor Hayley Brown were presented the Civilian Service Medal.
• Law Enforcement Officer of the First Quarter – Sgt. Joshua Hendershott
• Law Enforcement Officer of the Second Quarter – Deputy Neal Tipton
• Law Enforcement Employee of the Second Quater: Intelligence analyst Stephanie Brown
• Civilian Service Medal – Linda Warrick, Russell Warrick and Wesley Warrick – Diamond View Neighborhood Watch
• Longevity Awards 20 Years:  Sonny Beane,  Kim Mathis, Yvonne Jackson, Master Deputy J. Jarman Sr.,  Sergeant. S. Mashburn, Sergeant. S. Webber,  Captain L. Dixon,  Captain T. Greer
• Longevity Awards 35 Years – Lynn Hodge
• Newly promoted sergeants:  Andrew Kilgen, Shaun White

Pictured top: Chief Deputy Chip Simmons (left) and Sheriff David Morgan as a Medal of Courage was presented posthumously to Jill Heddy, wife of corrections officer Joe Heddy Jr. Courtesy photo for North Escambia.com, click to enlarge.