Deputy With Defibrillator Saves Man's Life

DALLAS, GA -- A Paulding County deputy has received the sheriff's office Life Saver Award for his quick work saving a man having a heart attack on the Silver Comet Trail.

On April 16, Deputy James Ward responded to a cardiac arrest call near mile marker 20 on the trail.

When he got there, he found three cyclists performing CPR on a man who was lying unconscious on the ground.

The man was later identified as 53-year-old Lawrence Scott Holben.

Ward immediately got a defibrillator from his vehicle and attached the leads from it to the patient.

But he kept getting a message on the machine saying that the leads were not attached.

Realizing that the wire leads may be defective, Ward quickly attached a set of spare leads to the machine. He was then able to administer a shock to Holben, who regained consciousness and began breathing.

EMS and other medical professionals would later say that if it weren't for Ward's quick action, Holben likely would have died.

"If it were not for the quick thinking of the citizens, along with Deputy Ward, Mr. Holben would not be with us today," Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said in a news release. "We are very thankful to have AED’s (automated external defibrillators) in many of our patrol vehicles in order to save lives."

Ward was presented Thursday with a certificate and the Life Saving Award medal at a ceremony at the sheriff's office.

(Photo courtesy Paulding County Sheriff's Office)