A little bit of Whitley County history happened Thursday and most people probably didn’t realize it.
Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Heather Lindsay (Rowe) graduated from the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training law enforcement basic training academy, i.e., the police academy in Richmond.
As her husband and fellow Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy David Rowe noted in a Facebook post, this makes Heather the first female road deputy in the history of the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department.
I’ve had the privilege to get to know Heather, who spent a few years working security over at the Whitley County Judicial Center before deciding she wanted to become a road deputy. Among other duties she used to transport people for involuntary mental health evaluations.
One time, she got this older lady, who was truly mentally ill. The woman defecated in the backseat of Heather’s police cruiser while on the way to the psychiatric hospital. Heather stopped at a dollar store afterwards, getting a gallon of bleach and pouring it onto the backseat of her police cruiser. Suffice it to say, on the way back she had the windows rolled down.
Not everyone could have empathy for someone who did that, but you could tell Heather did when she told the story. Something tells me that this sense of empathy is one of the things that will make her a great road deputy.
Congratulations on the accomplishment Heather. Good luck, not that you will need it.
I am glad to see that Whitley County Sheriff Bill Elliotte is willing to think outside the box in regards to personnel.
Most folks looking to get into the police academy and become an officer tend to be males in their 20s.
Last year, Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Leach graduated from the police academy at the age of 38.
Now to touch on a few things of interest before I conclude this column.
• Last week I wrote about the economic impact of independent colleges in universities on their local communities. While I wasn’t shocked to see the University of the Cumberlands (UC) at the top of this 18 college list, I was surprised by just how much economic impact the school has.
In the 2021-2022 fiscal year, UC contributed more than $337 million to Kentucky’s economy, including: $131.1 million in direct spending by students, $63 million in direct speeding by faculty, staff and visitors, and $42 million in purchases by the university among other contributions.
The school now has about 22,000 students, which is about 4,000 more than in the fiscal year 2021-2022.
• Got a press release about something kind of cool Monday morning. The Louisville Orchestra and Music Director Teddy Abrams will be bringing their 2025 “In Harmony” Kentucky Commonwealth Tour to Cumberland Falls State Park on Sept. 19.
• As strange as this may sound, if you like eating at Texas Roadhouse, then you might want to give blood this week. The Kentucky Blood Center will be giving away a $15 Texas Roadhouse gift card and a coupon for a free appetizer to those giving blood through Saturday (Feb. 15).
The bad news is that this promotion is only at Kentucky Blood Center donor centers. The good news for local residents is that the Tri-County Donor Center is located 1454 W. Cumberland Gap Parkway in Corbin. It is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and on Saturday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.
