CO commended for defusing dangerous situation
Convinced a hospital patient to release a hostage
By C1 Staff
STILLWATER, Minn. — One week to the day after completing critical incident training , Corrections Officer Shane Warnke used his new skills to defuse a potentially deadly situation at a local hospital.
While providing security for an offender during a hospital visit, staff called him to the room of the patient. When Warnke arrived, he found the patient threatening a hospital employee with a pair of scissors.
“By sheer chance, I happened to be there working,” he told the Forest Lake Times. “The nursing assistant was being held hostage, and deadly force was present.”
The patient lunged at him twice, but Warnke established a dialogue and convinced the patient to eventually drop the scissors.
Warnke received a letter of commendation from his employer, the Minnesota Department of Corrections, for successfully quelling a hostage situation.
