Several employees with the Missouri Department of Corrections have been recognized for taking life-saving measures in three separate incidents. Each one was presented with the Award of Valor at a ceremony this week in Jefferson City.
Sgt. Scharihen Ward works as an officer at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. She was given the Award of Valor for helping to stop a stabbing attack against a fellow Corrections officer.
“(The inmate) just started punching me multiple times in the face. I charged at him, trying to defend myself,” Ward told Missourinet. “Miss Morris got in the midst of it. He grabbed her by the hair, tossed her down. He was on top of her, started and pulled a shank out and started stabbing her.”
Ward also put out a call for assistance, which was answered by Corrections officer Nicolle Ellzey. However, Ellzey developed a severe headache minutes after the attack and weeks later collapsed on the job. She died in June of this year. Ellzey was given the Award of Valor posthumously.
“If there was a struggle, she was right there, (a) power woman,” Ward said of Ellzey. “She was like this petite woman, but like she didn’t hesitate. If there was anyone in trouble or (if) anything happened, she would be right there, take off running, just come to the rescue. I would always put my life in her hands.”
Morris, the officer initially attacked, survived. She no longer works for the Department of Corrections.
The Award of Valor was also given to Kevin Harwood, a probation and parole officer in District 4, which includes Kansas City. He was honored for helping to rescue people from a homeless camp in Kansas City that had caught on fire.
“As we were trying to get the people away, we noticed, like, propane tanks and other kind of dangerous items around, and so we just wanted to get everyone out safely,” Harwood said. “One of the guys said that he had burns. So, we made sure we got him out to the medics.”
His probation partner, Ryan Koch, was also honored, though he’s no longer with the Department of Corrections.
Also, eight Corrections officers at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre were honored for evacuating inmates from a housing unit that had caught fire in December of 2023. Myles Strid is Director of Adult Institutions with the Department of Corrections.
“They made several attempts to put out the fire, while conditions became increasingly hazardous,” Strid said. “Despite the danger they faced, they prioritized the safety of fellow staff and the housing unit residents. The act of heroism performed by these officers prevented a larger fire as well as potential serious injuries.”
The eight Bonne Terre Corrections officers who received the Award of Valor were Dustin Burcham, Kevin Dahmm, Joseph Hurst, Joshua Lee, Steven Rose, Jacob Smith, David Wallace, and Adrienne Warren.
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