It’s not often that inmates are honored at government meetings, and probably even more rare that they receive a standing ovation, but that’s what happened at the Dec. 17 meeting of the Carroll County Quorum Court.
County Judge David Writer and Sheriff Daniel Klatt publicly thanked Carroll County Detention Center inmates Lance Lee and David Strong for coming to the aid of sheriff’s office Sgt. Corey Spain recently when Spain had a medical emergency.
“They were down there working in the shop and Corey started feeling sick,” Klatt said. “He called for Lee to go get the nurse. He then collapsed, went unconscious, stopped breathing.”
Klatt said that because of the jail’s security, Lee had a difficult time getting through the doors to get to the nurse.
“Corey started turning blue,” Klatt said.
At that point, Strong picked up a radio in the unit and was able to make contact with dispatchers.
When first responders arrived, Klatt said, Spain had no pulse. The first responders were able to restart Spain’s heart with an automated external defibrillator, and he was transported to Mercy hospital.
“Within 20 minutes, he was sitting there wondering what was going on,” Klatt said. “What these guys did was great.”
Lee and Strong are state inmates housed at the local jail under Arkansas Act 309. The 309 program allows county and city jails to house state inmates who meet certain criteria. The purpose of the program is to prepare inmates for re-entry into society. Act 309 inmates receive job skill training and can be eligible for work-release program as well as furloughs.
Benny Magness, chair of the Arkansas Board of Corrections, attended the quorum court meeting and praised the Act 309 program as a whole and Lee and Strong individually.
“I’ve been on the board of corrections now for 26 years,” Magness said. “And our most successful program to change these people’s lives is 309. Both of them will have to admit that they probably hadn’t been around the best of characters in a long time. I want to thank them for what they did. I want to thank the judge and the sheriff for having them, because what they did is important, but the entire state program makes a difference. People get this bad vibe about inmates sometimes. All inmates are not bad people. They just, some of them, made bad choices. These guys, I think the fact that they were involved in that a couple of weeks ago and the fact that y’all recognized them, it will change their lives. I would bet money they don’t come back to us.”
Lee and Strong received a standing ovation from county officials and audience members at the quorum court meeting.
In an interview Friday, Dec. 20, at the detention center, both Lee and Strong said they are looking forward to completing their sentences and returning to society.
“We’re hoping for a second chance,” Lee said.
