There is global interest in the case of recently released American College student Otto Warmbier who died on Monday after his release from North Korea. Not all prison stories, though, are as sad as what happened to the 22-year-old American.
On the same day that Warmbier died, six Georgia inmates just showed there is hope for the world even if the story involves men convicted of minor crimes.
Time reported the six Inmates from Polk County jail were doing field work on Monday.
Help, not escape
The six were cutting grass in a cemetery when the Deputy Sheriff, who was overseeing the inmates, suddenly collapsed face-first on the ground, according to Polk County Sheriff Johnny Moats. Instead of escaping using the officer’s truck, the six inmates stayed and helped the officer.
The inmates used the mobile phone of the deputy sheriff to call 911. They also removed the vest of the officer, who collapsed because of the extreme humidity and a previous medical condition, to lower his body temperature until medical workers arrived.
Had the six opted to steal the deputy sheriff’s gun and van, they could have escaped, while the officer’s life could have been in danger if it took hours for someone else to discover what happened to him. Because of the help from the six prisoners, the deputy sheriff is back on his job.
Desserts and pizza treat
Moats shared that the sheriff’s office rewarded the six inmates, who preferred to help rather than escape, with desserts and pizza in the park. Moats said he is extremely proud of what the six did. Greg Williams, one of the inmates, said what happened on Monday “wasn’t about who is in jail and who wasn’t.” He explained, “It was about a man going down, and we had to help him.” Moats plans to reduce their sentences by one-fourth, according to 11 Alive.com
What the six did was in sharp contrast to the behavior of two inmates who fled their jail in Georgia using a prison bus, killed two guards, and got away.
Officers are looking for the two escaped prisoners who officials would kill someone else, the Associated Press reported.
According to Howard Sills, the sheriff of Putnam County, the two inmates overpowered and took the firearms of the guards at around 6:45 a.m. The escape happened while the 33 prisoners were being ferried between prisons. Both guards were shot fatally by one of the escaped inmates who jumped out of the prison bus and carjacked another driver who was behind the bus on a rural highway. The latest news said the two have been captured in Tennessee.