The Sebastian County Sheriff's Department has made more headlines than they've cared to in recent months. Three jailers have been arrested and one terminated for not following proper procedure. But a former inmate is defending the department's detention center, saying many of the deputies deserve respect.
Her daddy told her there's always one bad apple in the bunch, and Joyce Kelly says she's learned sometimes there are a few. But the former Sebastian County inmate says she's bothered by the bad press the sheriff's department has recently received, and she wants people to know there's more to the story.
"The rest of them was very kind and considerate and couldn't even figure out what I was in there for," Kelly told 5NEWS.
Joyce Kelly's health isn't the best, and she recently suffered a mini-stroke that's affected her memory. She can't remember their names--only the descriptions of two female deputies she calls fantastic.
"It was a young officer with long blond hair and an older officer with short hair," Kelly recalled.
Kelly spent a little less than a month there last year. Chief Deputy Tom Young says it's rare, but inmates have returned to say 'thank you' or to ask for forgiveness.
"They actually have came back up front and called me up there and said they were sorry, and they apologized that they realize that most of the people that work over there was trying to do a good job and it's not a job that very many people would want," Chief Deputy Young said.
"I'm just a simple country woman with simple country ways," Kelly told 5NEWS. "I appreciate them [law enforcement], and I want to give thanks where thanks is due and I want to give credit where credit is due."
Kelly says the time here changed her life, and she began attending church. Those are the stories they like to hear.
"The detention personnel are probably the least thanked of anyone that's in law enforcement," Young said.
Kelly says she lives on a fixed income, but she still finds a way to give to law enforcement organizations because she believes in what they do.
Chief Young says their office received a letter from an inmate about two years ago after they had to terminate a jailer. The inmate wrote that he didn't believe the incident had taken place, and that the deputy had always been good to him and treated him with respect.
Her daddy told her there's always one bad apple in the bunch, and Joyce Kelly says she's learned sometimes there are a few. But the former Sebastian County inmate says she's bothered by the bad press the sheriff's department has recently received, and she wants people to know there's more to the story.
"The rest of them was very kind and considerate and couldn't even figure out what I was in there for," Kelly told 5NEWS.
Joyce Kelly's health isn't the best, and she recently suffered a mini-stroke that's affected her memory. She can't remember their names--only the descriptions of two female deputies she calls fantastic.
"It was a young officer with long blond hair and an older officer with short hair," Kelly recalled.
Kelly spent a little less than a month there last year. Chief Deputy Tom Young says it's rare, but inmates have returned to say 'thank you' or to ask for forgiveness.
"They actually have came back up front and called me up there and said they were sorry, and they apologized that they realize that most of the people that work over there was trying to do a good job and it's not a job that very many people would want," Chief Deputy Young said.
"I'm just a simple country woman with simple country ways," Kelly told 5NEWS. "I appreciate them [law enforcement], and I want to give thanks where thanks is due and I want to give credit where credit is due."
Kelly says the time here changed her life, and she began attending church. Those are the stories they like to hear.
"The detention personnel are probably the least thanked of anyone that's in law enforcement," Young said.
Kelly says she lives on a fixed income, but she still finds a way to give to law enforcement organizations because she believes in what they do.
Chief Young says their office received a letter from an inmate about two years ago after they had to terminate a jailer. The inmate wrote that he didn't believe the incident had taken place, and that the deputy had always been good to him and treated him with respect.
