Wayne County Sheriff Placed On Ventilator In Coronavirus Fight

WAYNE COUNTY, MI — Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon was recently placed on a ventilator but his daughter said her father is not losing his fight against the coronavirus and can breathe on his own.

"The doctors placed my father on a ventilator to assist him with slowing his breathing and allowing his body to begin healing," Tiffani Jackson said in a social media post to Napoleon's personal Facebook page. "He still has the ability to breath on his own, however, he needs time to rest because his body was working extremely too hard. My father was alert and played an intricate part in making the decision to be placed on the ventilator.

"We are not hopeless. We still have hope in the ultimate physician; Jesus. This is not the end! Our God's Word cannot return void."

Napoleon, 65, first reported that he had tested positive for the coronavirus Nov. 19 in a post on his Facebook page.

"Friends, as many of you may have heard, I recently tested positive for COVID-19," he said. "I'm experiencing very mild symptoms; my spirits are high and my faith is strong."

On Nov. 20, Napoleon's daughter posted that her father had been admitted to a local hospital.

Napoleon had tested negative for the coronavirus on Nov. 13, according to The Detroit News, but began seeing increased symptoms on Nov. 17. Another test, given Nov. 19, resulted in a positive result.

On Sunday, a prayer vigil was held for Napoleon in front of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.