Four Lyon County Department of Corrections officers were honored during Tuesday’s Lyon County Board of Commissioners meeting for their life-saving actions Aug. 18.
According to Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen, about two hours after learning that he will be tried as an adult for his alleged crime as a juvenile, an 18-year-old inmate attempted to take his own life.
“He walks into his cell, grabs a bed sheet and walks out of his cell to the upper tier of our jail,” Wallen said. “He kind of concealed the bed sheet; there were probably 10 to 15 seconds that they could see the bed sheet, and Sergeant Sean Kirk, working the pod control station, once he noticed it, he radioed for officers Ernest Sorensen, Cale Sorenson and Seargeant Isaac Pohlen.”
The officers entered the cell, then ran up the stairs as the man was tying the sheet and going over the railing.
“Ardy (Ernest) was the first one up, and as the the gentleman was in the process of letting go and falling, he grabbed him from over the railing,” Wallen said. “It was that close. Thankfully we had jail staff nearby that weren’t tied up in the back of the jail with another inmate. Ardy was quickly followed by Sergeant Pohlen who helped him get him back over the railing. If they weren’t there that quick … we would’ve had a person pass away in our jail. They did an outstanding job.”
