Jeff Murray

jmurray@stargazette.com | @SGJeffMurray

Two Steuben County sheriff's deputies were honored this week for actions that likely saved the life of a drug overdose victim.

Sheriff David Cole formally commended deputies Brooke Payne and Todd Terwilliger at Monday's county legislature public safety and corrections committee meeting.

Cole told the committee the two deputies responded to a report of a possible overdose Feb. 14 at a residence on Victory Highway in Painted Post, where they found a 20-year-old man unresponsive, without a pulse and turning purple.

After calling 911, Payne began to administer CPR, and Terwilliger located the NARCAN kit and automated external defibrillator in Payne's vehicle, Cole said.

While Payne was performing CPR on the victim, she was bitten on the top of her scalp by a Siberian husky, which was pulled off by another person while she continued to resuscitate the victim.

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Terwilliger administered the opiate antidote NARCAN to the victim, who revived in a combative state, was subdued and transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to the sheriff's report.

The investigation into the incident showed the victim had overdosed on a combination of alcohol, marijuana, Xanax, Roxicodone and oxycodone and would have died from that combination if the deputies hadn't intervened, Cole said.

"Your actions, along with Corning Rural Metro, not only saved the life of a resident of Steuben County, but working as a team you were able to put into action your training and demonstrate the sheriff's office ability to protect all citizens of Steuben County, even against themselves," Cole told the deputies Monday. "You are hereby commended for the outstanding example you set for the other members of the law enforcement community to look upon with great pride and admiration."

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray.

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