An Escambia County Corrections Officer passed away Saturday, June 17 at a local hospital after being transported from his duty site. Employed with the county since 2009, Officer Joe William Heddy, Jr., 63, was an Escambia County Jail staff member assigned to oversee inmates temporarily housed at the Escambia County Road Prison located in Cantonment.
A call was placed to Escambia County Emergency Communications at 1:13 p.m. requesting assistance for a non-injury related health issue. The first unit arrived on scene at 1:23 p.m. Officer Heddy was transferred to West Florida Hospital via ground.
County Administrator Jack Brown along with corrections staff met with family members at the hospital. He expresses the county’s grief by saying, “All of us, from the commissioners to our jail staff, were incredibly saddened to learn of Officer Heddy’s passing. He was a respected corrections officer, not only his fellow officers, but also the inmates in his care. Officer Heddy was known as being a dedicated professional - strong, yet kind. He will be greatly missed and our hearts go out to his family.”
As is standard protocol, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has been called to investigate.
