By Jonathan Limehouse
The Charlotte Observer
OLIN, N.C. — The quick reaction of a school resource officer saved a girl’s life and prevented a delicious treat from choking her to death, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputy Alan Josey found a girl, whose name wasn’t released, lying on the floor of the seventh grade hallway at North Iredell Middle School Thursday around 11:28 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The girl exhibited signs of respiratory distress, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Josey performed the Heimlich maneuver after determining the girl was choking and dislodged a piece of candy, the Sheriff’s Office said. One of the girl’s classmates tried to help her before Josey stepped in, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
School cameras caught the entire situation, and the 20-second video released by the Sheriff’s Office shows Josey performing the life-saving maneuver with students and faculty around them. After the incident, Josey helped the girl back to her feet.
“It’s one of those moments where your training kind of comes in effect and you’re able to not just think about it, you assess the situation and act,” Josey told the Charlotte Observer on Monday.
Before beginning a career in law enforcement, Josey spent eight years in the United States Army Reserve as a Combat Medic, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“All that training, plus the training we get here at the Sheriff’s Office, made it so much easier in the moment,” Josey told the Observer.
Josey said he and the girl had a good relationship prior to the incident. He said they high five and talk to each other every day.
“It’s good to see that she’s safe and everything, and I’m just glad I was there to help her out,” Josey said. “She’s back eating candy again.”
Students have shown Josey love since the incident, and he’s become a “mini celebrity.”
“I kind of treat all the kids I have in this school as my kids also,” he said. “It’s middle school so you know it’s already an awkward age. It’s nice to have somebody that knows you as a person, so I have an open door policy.”
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