Thursday, November 18, 1999

Caddo Parish Sheriff Don Hathaway today presented the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office Certificate of Meritorious Service to Sheriff’s Sgt. King J. Sneed in recognition of his swift and decisive action on Nov. 9 that saved the life of a Louisiana Department of Social Services employee.

In a brief presentation today, Sheriff Hathaway honored Sneed for "taking swift, decisive and appropriate action at a time when others might have walked by not wanting to get involved." In presenting to Sneed the award and the green uniform ribbon symbolic of it, the Sheriff outlined the incident.

On Nov. 9, Sneed was working an extra-duty job at the Shreveport Disability Determinations Services Unit of the Louisiana Department of Social Services’ Office of Family Support when James T. Hendon started choking on a piece food while eating lunch. Without indicating he was in distress, Hendon went to the Men’s Room.

From the hallway outside the Men’s Room door, Sneed heard the disabilities determinations examiner choking and entered to lend assistance. Immediately recognizing that Hendon was choking, Sneed began performing the Heimlich Maneuver repeatedly until the food dislodged from Hendon’s throat, allowing life-sustaining air to flow once again into his lungs.

In a letter informing Sheriff Hathaway of the incident, Administrative Specialist Catherine Barnes wrote, "We would like to commend Sgt. King Sneed for his act of kindness and we all feel he saved (Hendon’s) life. There are many people who probably would have ignored the situation, but Sgt. Sneed took the time to offer assistance without hesitation."

The Certificate of Meritorious Service is the highest honor given to a deputy for a life-saving effort when the deputy’s life is not in peril. Sneed’s certificate is the seventh, and only the third presented to a deputy, since 1992. The other four certificates were presented to citizens for assisting the other two deputies in life-saving incidents.