Inmates In Georgia Jail Save Life Of Deputy With Heart Trouble

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Three inmates in a jail near Atlanta did the unexpected earlier this month: They helped save the life of a deputy apparently suffering a cardiac incident.

The deputy, Warren Hobbs, looked like he was sleeping on duty at the Gwinnett County Jail in Lawrenceville, Georgia. But inmate Mitchell Smalls thought the noises Hobbs made didn’t sound quite like snoring.

The next thing Smalls knew, Hobbs fell out of his chair, split his head open and started to bleed.

Smalls knew what he had to do.

“I started hollering and screaming and banging on the door to try to alert everybody to wake up,” Smalls later said to WAGA-TV in Atlanta.

Soon, about 60 inmates joined in, making as much noise as possible to alert other deputies.

The racket was enough to revive Hobbs somewhat. Another inmate, Terry Lovelace, said he could see Hobbs struggling to get back up.

“It was sad because it didn’t look good at all, but the man had fight in him to get up,” Lovelace said to WAGA-TV. “As he came up, I can make eye contact with him. I’m like, Deputy Hobbs, Deputy Hobbs, please.”

Hobbs then hit a button that released Lovelace and another inmate, Walter Whitehead, both of whom raced to Hobbs’ side.

Whitehead called for help on the phone, while Lovelace used Hobbs’ two-way radio. Other deputies arrived seconds later to help.

Hobbs later said he didn’t realize he’d been unconscious. All he remembered, according to a spokesperson for the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s office, was “what sounded like pounding drums” and “inmates shouting his name over and over.”

The three inmates told WAGA-TV they just did what they thought was right.

“I don’t care if it’s a police officer or whoever it was,” Whitehead said to the Atlanta TV station. “I will do whatever I can to save a man. I don’t want anyone to die."

Hobbs is now recovering at home. According to the sheriff’s office, he’s grateful the three inmates helped him.

“These inmates had no obligation whatsoever to render aid to a bleeding, vulnerable deputy, but they didn't hesitate," the sheriff’s office posted Tuesday to its Facebook page. "Many people have strong opinions about law enforcement officers and criminals, but this incident clearly illustrates the potential goodness found in both."