Jan.
24, 2020
Freedom
Awards for Distinguished Service mark 2020 Corrections Day at the Legislature
CHARLESTON,
W.Va. – Military Affairs and Public Safety Secretary Jeff Sandy
honored more than a dozen Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation officers,
administrators and staff on Friday as part of Corrections Day at the
Legislature.
Sandy and Corrections Commissioner Betsy
Jividen presented the third annual Freedom Awards for Distinguished Service at
a Capitol awards ceremony that followed recognition of Corrections Day by both
the state Senate and House of Delegates.
The secretary’s Freedom Award recognizes
employees for performances that exceed the normal expectations involved in their
duties and responsibilities. This year’s recipients formed the contingent that
accepted the House and Senate citations.
The Corrections and Rehabilitation Honor
Guard presented the colors to open the House floor session. DCR also invited
clergy to lead chamber in its floor session’s opening prayer: Rabbi Victor
Urecki of Congregation B'nai Jacob in Charleston led those in the House, while Rabbi
Joshua Lief of Wheeling’s Temple Shalom did the same for the Senate.
Recipients
of the 2020 Secretary’s Freedom Award for Distinguished Service:
Bureau of
Prisons and Jails:
Scotty
Hypes, Correctional Case Manager, Mount Olive Correctional Complex and Jail
(MOCC) for rescuing an inmate who had
been beaten and stabbed in a fight with other inmates.
Lt.
Michael Toney, Correctional Officer V, South Central Regional Jail and
Correctional Facility for catching an
inmate trying to bluff his way out of the jail by impersonating another inmate,
and then saving that would-be imposter later that day when he tried to hang
himself in his cell.
Evangaline
Tiede, Correctional Officer II, MOCC for returning to
duty ahead of schedule and undaunted after an assault by an inmate that left
her with multiple injuries.
Misty
Adams, Associate Superintendent of Programs, Saint Marys Correctional Center
and Jail for her dedication and devotion
while carrying out the rehabilitation component of DCR’s mission as the
tireless driver of several reentry initiatives and programs.
Bureau of Juvenile
Services
Lt.
David Murphy, Correctional Officer V,
James H. “Tiger” Morton Juvenile Center for serving as chief of security for his facility
while also stepping up to perform double-duty throughout 2019 when his facility
went without a maintenance staff for the entire year.
Rebecca
Parker, Building Maintenance Mechanic, Lorrie Yeager Jr. Juvenile Center for servings as a consistently dependable team
member who performs multiple duties and volunteers to fill in where needed.
Julie
Timmermeyer, Corrections Case Manager, Community Resource Coordinator for helping youths in a five-county region as they
return to their communities from BJS custody and need medical, mental health,
education, housing and other services.
Bureau of Community
Corrections
Superintendent
Aaron Westfall, Parkersburg Correctional Center and Jail for overseeing the largest facility in Community
Corrections while also supervising the Wood County Holding Center and finding
ways to improve conditions and operations at both.
Richard
Tingler, Correctional Officer II, Wood County Holding Center for aiding the successful transition of the holding
center from a county-run facility to one operated by DCR.
Laura
Toler, Parole Officer I, Parole Services for serving as a go-to colleague who assists with investigations and
absconders and for applying her knowledge, networking and dedication in 2019 to
help solve multiple crimes including a homicide, a sexual assault, a drive-by
shooting, and an armed robbery.
Training and
Staff Development Bureau
Lauren
Storey, Correctional Trainer, Field Training Operations for setting and maintaining a high standard of
performance for herself. Storey represents DCR at job fairs, has earned a place
on its Honor Guard, and in late 2019 distinguished herself by providing life-saving
measures during an inmate’s medical emergency and assisting with the transport
of a pregnant inmate when she went into labor.
Intergovernmental
Affairs Bureau
Kathie
Sizemore, Secretary II, for handling
multiple responsibilities including constituent services, grievances, Equal
Employment Opportunity matters and both legal and investigations staff support.
Central Office
Captain
Howard Stoffel, Correctional Officer VI for his commitment to improving recruitment efforts, helping to reduce
vacancies by several hundred positions over the course of 2019.
Inspector
General Bureau
Tim
Harper, Corrections Program Manager III, Office of PREA (Prison Rape
Elimination Act) Compliance for leading a
team that ensured PREA accreditation for five facilities including DCR’s two
largest prisons (Mount Olive and Huttonsville) and jails (North Central and
South Central) – with all passing without needing an improvement plan.
Steve
Berthiaume, Acting Director, Corrections Investigation Division for helping to oversee the investigation regarding
Basic Training Class 18, which involved interviews conducted all across the
state with more than 70 individuals.
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