Correctional Officer and Inmates Work Together to Save a Life

Essex County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Dennis Laubner was preparing to call it a day about 2 Monday afternoon with his inmate work crew, when another vehicle screeched to a stop behind the corrections van on the ramp to Interstate 495 in Lawrence, Mass.

The driver got out of the van, yelling that her boyfriend, who was unconscious in the passenger seat, had overdosed on heroin.

Sgt. Laubner went into life-saving mode.

He took the cellphone that the women had in her hand. She had dialed 911, and Laubner was able to give the exact location to the 911 operator.

In the meantime, the five inmates went to work.

They got out of the correctional department van, pulled the victim out of the car, and laid him on the ground.

Sgt. Laubner determined that the victim had lost color, was unresponsive, and was not breathing.

Inmate Dennis Dicato and Sgt. Laubner worked together to perform CPR on the victim. While the two men performed CPR, the remaining inmates yelled encouragement, and told him to hang on.

The victim’s pulse returned.

Lawrence Police and EMS arrived quickly. The overdose drug Narcan was administered to the victim.

Although unsteady, the victim was conscious before being transported to an area hospital.

“At that time, I was not a correctional officer and these men were not inmates,” Sgt. Laubner said in describing the teamwork among the small group. “We were just human beings trying to save another human being.”

This was an especially emotional experience for Sgt. Laubner, because he lost his son to a heroin overdose last June.

Once the victim was stabilized and on the stretcher, Sgt. Laubner took a moment to hug the victim’s girlfriend. Sgt. Laubner shared his story of his son with her, and urged her to get help for her boyfriend.

After the incident, Sgt. Laubner thanked the inmates for their actions, in particular the brave efforts of Mr. Dicato. Laubner further stated, “I lost my son a year ago, and that is a tragedy. I believe God put me there today to save a life.”

Sgt. Laubner’s inmate crew headed back to the Essex County Pre-Release and Reentry Center in Lawrence.

Information and photo: Essex County Sheriff’s Department.