Perp
Posted on 09/18/2018 12:47:04 PM PDT by robowombat
Sheriff: Ky. deputy sustained 'life-changing' injuries in rest stop shooting Officer Jamie Morales' legs are "mostly paralyzed," according to Sheriff Tony Hampton
By Mike Stunson
SCOTT COUNTY, Ky. — A Scott County deputy who was shot in the line of duty last week has “severe injuries that are life changing,” and his legs are mostly paralyzed, according to Sheriff Tony Hampton.
Hampton gave the update Monday in a press conference regarding the status of Jamie Morales, who was shot while Scott County deputies and Georgetown police officers were assisting U.S. Marshals in apprehending 57-year-old Edward Reynolds of Florida.
Ky. troopers: Deputy shot at rest stop, suspect killed
Morales will remain in the ICU at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital until chest tubes are removed, and then will go to a spinal rehabilitation facility.
Morales, a two-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, had two surgeries in the first 24 hours he was at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, according to the sheriff. After his second surgery, he opened his eyes and gave people two thumbs up, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner.
Hampton told Morales Sunday that he will beat the odds and overcome his spinal injury.
“I told him, ‘You’re a strong-willed man. If anybody can overcome this, you can,’” Hampton said. “He works out five days a week, he’s strong-willed. He runs in every 5K or has ran in every 5K possible that he could. He’s a Marine, he’s a fighter, so we aren’t giving up hope...none of us...have given up hope he can beat the odds and come out of this.”
Morales “is being as positive as he can right now,” Hampton said Monday.
Donations are being raised to help pay hospital bills for Morales, as well as money for a handicapped-accessible vehicle. T-shirts are available at the sheriff’s office for $15, with the proceeds going to Morales.
The sheriff’s department is sticking together as a family, according to Hampton.
“At the end of the day, we still have a job to do and that’s serve this community,” he said. “We won’t stop. We have to keep going.”
A GoFundMe account for donations to Morales will be available later Monday.
“Donations are going to help a lot because Jamie is going to need a lot of resources in the upcoming weeks, months to help with his upcoming recovery,” Hampton said.
Brave Deputy.
God be with him and his family.
Perp
His legs are mostly paralyzed but he runs in almost every 5K he can..?
I...must be misunderstanding.
Father, in the Name of Jesus, please restore this young man from the top of his head, to the soles of his feet. Amen.
So the deputy is responsible for paying for his own medical treatment/care for onjuries sustained on the job? That doesn’t add up.
“So the deputy is responsible for paying for his own medical treatment/care for onjuries sustained on the job? That doesn’t add up.”
Glad somebody else noticed that. I bet the funds are more to help his family with expenses of living between home & hospital.
That I could understand.
About 25 years ago, we had an officer shot with his own weapon after being jumped in the dark and stabbed in his armpits wear his vest didn’t cover. Got shot point blank in the chin. All his medical was paid by state L&I but because of changes to the pension system, he only qualified for about $200/month medical retirement. Those changes were the result of the older police officers getting medical retirements from hang nails and other maladies. The state had no choice but to change them. But they didn’t allow any clauses for serious injuries like this guy. That was here in Washington state.
Insurance is fucked up since Obama. It used to be you got insurance when you were healthy, and then it covered everything for a moderate amount. Now people wait until they have an injury and then get insurance because they can’t be discriminated against for having a pre-existing condition. So prices on insurance go up, and insurers offer the option to cover a percentage of your injuries for a lower premium, or they offer a lower premium for a large deductible, which may be what he was trying to do.
It sounds good as it offers the option to have a major medical hit mostly covered, but when that hits, and he stops getting income or his income is cut so he can’t cover the big charge, it isn’t such a good deal.
Plus he was only on for two years, and came from the Marine Corps, which means he probably was young and didn’t have a huge bankroll to start, which may have been why he was taking a bronze health plan with a high deductible.
Looks like he was talking pre-incident and corrected himself to current times...might also be using some sort of prosthetic to be able to exercise the healthy muscles w/o collapsing due to weak ones.
You’re misunderstanding. Read more carefully. The article tells you when he was shot.
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