Post by CCADP on Aug 15, 2005 6:14:48 GMT -5
08/15/05
08/15/05
Officials, officers to honor slain CCI guard
It's been more than two years since Darla Lathrem was attacked and killed while guarding an inmate work detail at the Charlotte Correctional Institution.
Though time may be tugging the death of the gentle, spiritual 38-year-old rookie officer further into the past, and the fates of her three alleged killers are yet to be decided by a court, the way she lived and the way she died have instilled in many a fierce determination to keep her memory alive.
On Wednesday, a delegation of state and local officials and business leaders will join the more than 450 officers and staff at the 1,100-inmate maximum security prison for a commemorative luncheon to honor her memory and recognize the efforts of the colleagues she left behind.
State Rep. Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda, and state Sen. Michael Bennett, R-Bradenton, will lead the delegation of local public officials from Charlotte and Lee counties.
The contingent of visitors, which will include local law enforcement officials and county commissioners from the two counties, will also tour the facility to learn firsthand what improvements have been made since Lathrem's death to make the facility safer.
Lathrem was the only officer guarding five inmates performing construction work on the evening of June 11, 2003, when three of the inmates reportedly attacked her and the other two inmates, killing her and leaving one of the inmates fatally injured.
Nearly a thousand corrections officers from correctional facilities throughout the state attended her funeral in Fort Myers, her hometown, where she was laid to rest.
The three inmates -- Dwight Eaglin, Stephen Smith and Michael Jones -- were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and face the death penalty if convicted.
They are currently awaiting trial in the state prison in Starke, Fla.
"We're mainly going there to honor her and also to honor the work of all those people who still work there," said Bennett, who briefly served in law enforcement himself after leaving the service. "Let's face it, they all do a stellar job under less-than-stellar conditions for less-than-stellar pay. They all deserve our thanks, and we're more than happy to do whatever we can to show our respect, and to boost their morale. I know it's a job I wouldn't want to do."
Kreegel, who is a doctor, said he has gotten to know many members of the CCI's staff over the years as neighbors, through his work representing them in the state legislature, and through his practice.
"They truly deserve our respect and our support," he said in a statement. "In the end, these dedicated men and women protect all of us from those who have abused their freedom and ours."
You can e-mail Barry Millman at bmillman@sun-herald.com.
By BARRY MILLMAN
Staff Writer
It's been more than two years since Darla Lathrem was attacked and killed while guarding an inmate work detail at the Charlotte Correctional Institution.
Though time may be tugging the death of the gentle, spiritual 38-year-old rookie officer further into the past, and the fates of her three alleged killers are yet to be decided by a court, the way she lived and the way she died have instilled in many a fierce determination to keep her memory alive.
On Wednesday, a delegation of state and local officials and business leaders will join the more than 450 officers and staff at the 1,100-inmate maximum security prison for a commemorative luncheon to honor her memory and recognize the efforts of the colleagues she left behind.
State Rep. Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda, and state Sen. Michael Bennett, R-Bradenton, will lead the delegation of local public officials from Charlotte and Lee counties.
The contingent of visitors, which will include local law enforcement officials and county commissioners from the two counties, will also tour the facility to learn firsthand what improvements have been made since Lathrem's death to make the facility safer.
Lathrem was the only officer guarding five inmates performing construction work on the evening of June 11, 2003, when three of the inmates reportedly attacked her and the other two inmates, killing her and leaving one of the inmates fatally injured.
Nearly a thousand corrections officers from correctional facilities throughout the state attended her funeral in Fort Myers, her hometown, where she was laid to rest.
The three inmates -- Dwight Eaglin, Stephen Smith and Michael Jones -- were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and face the death penalty if convicted.
They are currently awaiting trial in the state prison in Starke, Fla.
"We're mainly going there to honor her and also to honor the work of all those people who still work there," said Bennett, who briefly served in law enforcement himself after leaving the service. "Let's face it, they all do a stellar job under less-than-stellar conditions for less-than-stellar pay. They all deserve our thanks, and we're more than happy to do whatever we can to show our respect, and to boost their morale. I know it's a job I wouldn't want to do."
Kreegel, who is a doctor, said he has gotten to know many members of the CCI's staff over the years as neighbors, through his work representing them in the state legislature, and through his practice.
"They truly deserve our respect and our support," he said in a statement. "In the end, these dedicated men and women protect all of us from those who have abused their freedom and ours."
You can e-mail Barry Millman at bmillman@sun-herald.com.
By BARRY MILLMAN
Staff Writer - Sun Herald
08/15/05
Officials, officers to honor slain CCI guard
It's been more than two years since Darla Lathrem was attacked and killed while guarding an inmate work detail at the Charlotte Correctional Institution.
Though time may be tugging the death of the gentle, spiritual 38-year-old rookie officer further into the past, and the fates of her three alleged killers are yet to be decided by a court, the way she lived and the way she died have instilled in many a fierce determination to keep her memory alive.
On Wednesday, a delegation of state and local officials and business leaders will join the more than 450 officers and staff at the 1,100-inmate maximum security prison for a commemorative luncheon to honor her memory and recognize the efforts of the colleagues she left behind.
State Rep. Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda, and state Sen. Michael Bennett, R-Bradenton, will lead the delegation of local public officials from Charlotte and Lee counties.
The contingent of visitors, which will include local law enforcement officials and county commissioners from the two counties, will also tour the facility to learn firsthand what improvements have been made since Lathrem's death to make the facility safer.
Lathrem was the only officer guarding five inmates performing construction work on the evening of June 11, 2003, when three of the inmates reportedly attacked her and the other two inmates, killing her and leaving one of the inmates fatally injured.
Nearly a thousand corrections officers from correctional facilities throughout the state attended her funeral in Fort Myers, her hometown, where she was laid to rest.
The three inmates -- Dwight Eaglin, Stephen Smith and Michael Jones -- were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and face the death penalty if convicted.
They are currently awaiting trial in the state prison in Starke, Fla.
"We're mainly going there to honor her and also to honor the work of all those people who still work there," said Bennett, who briefly served in law enforcement himself after leaving the service. "Let's face it, they all do a stellar job under less-than-stellar conditions for less-than-stellar pay. They all deserve our thanks, and we're more than happy to do whatever we can to show our respect, and to boost their morale. I know it's a job I wouldn't want to do."
Kreegel, who is a doctor, said he has gotten to know many members of the CCI's staff over the years as neighbors, through his work representing them in the state legislature, and through his practice.
"They truly deserve our respect and our support," he said in a statement. "In the end, these dedicated men and women protect all of us from those who have abused their freedom and ours."
You can e-mail Barry Millman at bmillman@sun-herald.com.
By BARRY MILLMAN
Staff Writer
It's been more than two years since Darla Lathrem was attacked and killed while guarding an inmate work detail at the Charlotte Correctional Institution.
Though time may be tugging the death of the gentle, spiritual 38-year-old rookie officer further into the past, and the fates of her three alleged killers are yet to be decided by a court, the way she lived and the way she died have instilled in many a fierce determination to keep her memory alive.
On Wednesday, a delegation of state and local officials and business leaders will join the more than 450 officers and staff at the 1,100-inmate maximum security prison for a commemorative luncheon to honor her memory and recognize the efforts of the colleagues she left behind.
State Rep. Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda, and state Sen. Michael Bennett, R-Bradenton, will lead the delegation of local public officials from Charlotte and Lee counties.
The contingent of visitors, which will include local law enforcement officials and county commissioners from the two counties, will also tour the facility to learn firsthand what improvements have been made since Lathrem's death to make the facility safer.
Lathrem was the only officer guarding five inmates performing construction work on the evening of June 11, 2003, when three of the inmates reportedly attacked her and the other two inmates, killing her and leaving one of the inmates fatally injured.
Nearly a thousand corrections officers from correctional facilities throughout the state attended her funeral in Fort Myers, her hometown, where she was laid to rest.
The three inmates -- Dwight Eaglin, Stephen Smith and Michael Jones -- were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder and face the death penalty if convicted.
They are currently awaiting trial in the state prison in Starke, Fla.
"We're mainly going there to honor her and also to honor the work of all those people who still work there," said Bennett, who briefly served in law enforcement himself after leaving the service. "Let's face it, they all do a stellar job under less-than-stellar conditions for less-than-stellar pay. They all deserve our thanks, and we're more than happy to do whatever we can to show our respect, and to boost their morale. I know it's a job I wouldn't want to do."
Kreegel, who is a doctor, said he has gotten to know many members of the CCI's staff over the years as neighbors, through his work representing them in the state legislature, and through his practice.
"They truly deserve our respect and our support," he said in a statement. "In the end, these dedicated men and women protect all of us from those who have abused their freedom and ours."
You can e-mail Barry Millman at bmillman@sun-herald.com.
By BARRY MILLMAN
Staff Writer - Sun Herald