A disturbing account from a former employee of the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office reveals a culture of negligence that places deputies’ lives at risk. Her story underscores a pattern: when deputies face life-threatening emergencies, the administration looks the other way.
According to the former deputy, while on duty at BDCC she suffered the onset of a stroke. Instead of receiving immediate medical care, a nurse—without administering any test—told the warden she was “on drugs.” That baseless claim was accepted as fact. An ambulance was never called. For six hours, her condition worsened until her husband was released from his position to personally drive her to the emergency room. By the time she arrived, doctors confirmed she was still in the middle of an active stroke. They also confirmed there were no drugs in her system.
Despite the medical evidence, the Sheriff’s Office chose to stand by the nurse’s accusation. The deputy took FMLA leave to recover, but the very day she returned, she was fired. She filed a police report and later took her case before the state. She won her unemployment lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office—a clear acknowledgment that she had been wrongfully terminated. Yet to this day, the Sheriff’s administration has refused to pay her a single penny.
The consequences for her have been devastating. She continues to suffer from the lasting effects of her stroke while also bearing the financial and emotional toll of a system that abandoned her.
And she is not alone. Other deputies have reported near-death situations while on duty, only to be denied professional medical response. In multiple cases, administrators insisted that family members come retrieve deputies rather than calling an ambulance.
This is more than neglect—it is a systemic failure. The very institution charged with protecting the community is refusing to protect its own. Deputies put their lives on the line daily, yet when their health and safety are at stake, Webster Parish leadership turns its back.
How many more must suffer before accountability is demanded?
