Lewis County honors three juvenile detention officers for actions during Jan. 15 escape attempt

Shad Hale, Lewis County juvenile court administrator, formally honored three detention officers Friday for their response to an attempted escape at the county juvenile facility on Jan. 15.

Hale told county commissioners and attendees that detention officers Zaila Warner, Lexi Brooks and Heidi Parnell acted to stop a detainee — described in the meeting as having a violent history and pending a Murder 1 charge — who attempted to flee during recreation time with the aid of another detainee. "What you have done as a collective team has been nothing short of inspirational," Hale said.

The two officers in the yard, Warner and Brooks, were repeatedly assaulted with kicks, punches, elbows and body slams but continued fighting for nearly 10 minutes to prevent the escape, Hale said. Parnell, working in the control room, monitored cameras and doors, radioed dispatch, coordinated the lockdown of uninvolved individuals and opened doors for responding officers, actions Hale said were critical to bringing help to the scene.

County officials on the dais and others in the room thanked the officers for their conduct and called it heroic. Hale acknowledged county staff who supported the response, including County Manager Ryan Barrett, Prosecutor Meyer, Sheriff Snaaza, and members of the Critical Incident Stress Management team led by Warren McLeod. Hale also thanked juvenile court staff who reported for duty that night without waiting to be called.

The ceremony included presentations to each officer, brief remarks from other county officials and an opportunity for family photos. No formal vote or policy action was taken during the recognition.

The county did not provide additional operational or medical details about injuries, nor did officials give further information about the detainees beyond the description given at the ceremony.