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Scott Daniels was apprehended last night at 11:38 pm at a home off Wrennie Moody Road. Hats off to all those who worked to peacefully end this situation. Watch for all the details in this week's print edition.

Authorities are searching for a Calhoun County man who fled after the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office attempted to take him into custody for threatening a public official. According to a CCSO spokesperson, the fugitive is Scott Anthony Daniels, 46. They have not released the name of the public official Daniels allegedly threatened. Investigators are currently searching a five-mile radius in the Ocheesee community from Hwy. 69 to Jody Fields Road and the crossroads area at Hwys. 69, 286 and 274. Three images of Daniels are shown here. If you spot Daniels, please contact the CCSO at 674-5049. Residents in the Ocheesee area are urged to keep their doors locked. More details as they become available.

BY KELLI PEACOCK DUNN
News Editor

The Parks and Crump law firm in Tallahassee hosted a press conference earlier today to release the police officer’s dash cam video from the morning Barbara Dawson died.

As previously reported, Dawson, 57, refused to leave Calhoun Liberty Hospital the morning of Dec. 21 after she was treated for abdominal pains and released. She insisted she still didn’t feel well and needed further treatment. When she allegedly became unruly, the Blountstown Police Department was called by hospital officials to have her removed. Dawson was arrested, then collapsed next to Ofc. John Tadlock’s patrol car, and was later readmitted to the hospital where she died. The Medical Examiner ruled her death was due to a blood clot.

The dash cam video is actually mostly audio since Dawson never entered the patrol car. Ofc. Tadlock’s voice recorder attached to his uniform captured everything that was said inside and outside the hospital. Officials at the hospital report cameras were not working due to their server being down since late November.

“You hear her when the officer arrives in her room in a panic...she begs, ‘I can’t breathe, please don’t do this...’ You hear them insisting she is going to jail,” Attorney Daryl Parks told reporters this morning. “You also hear hospital personnel repeating to her, ‘There’s nothing wrong with you.’”

Parks added that, after being removed from the facility and collapsing, “For at least 20 minutes, she is there beside the car without any help.”

Attorneys for the Dawson family alleged that even after the doctor came out to the parking lot, assessed her and decided to readmit her, no one seemed in a big rush to get her inside.

“We have almost 30 minutes that elapsed when she didn’t have any real care,” said Parks.
Parks said Ofc. Tadlock is heard on the recording admitting to his captain that he thought Dawson was just being non-compliant. “That assumption cost Barbara Dawson her life.”

“How many times does a person have to say, ‘I’m real sick, I can’t breathe,’ or a family member observing say, ‘She’s still hurting, something is wrong here.’ We think what they did was put criminality over health care,” said Attorney and State Representative Darryl Rouson. He went on to say, “They thought the way to deal with her was taking her to jail as opposed to getting her the adequate and the sufficient medical attention she needed. This case is about getting Barbara Dawson justice.”

Blountstown Police Chief Mark Mallory released the following statement this afternoon:
"Contrary to what has been suggested by legal counsel for Ms. Dawson’s family, in Florida, law enforcement officers are “first responders”. It is important to recognize that law enforcement officers are not trained medical professionals. Generally, as a first responder, a law enforcement officer is trained in CPR. CPR would not be utilized on a person that is breathing and that has a heartbeat, as was the case with Ms. Dawson on December 21, 2015.

"In the event of a perceived medical emergency, it is a law enforcement officer’s duty and responsibility to request the assistance of trained medical professionals. It is also a law enforcement officer’s responsibility to rely on the medical training and expertise of medical professionals once the officer seeks medical evaluation and/or intervention. In Ms. Dawson’s case, the responding officer acted appropriately, by requesting immediate assistance from medical professionals.

"As clearly depicted in the audio recording of the events as they transpired on December 21, 2015, the officer sought medical attention for Ms. Dawson within less than one minute of her collapse. The medical professionals that responded to Ms. Dawson in the Calhoun-Liberty Hospital parking lot included the following: registered nurses, a paramedic, and a doctor. Upon the arrival of the various medical professionals, the officer deferred to the professional training and expertise of the summoned medical professionals to evaluate and assess Ms. Dawson’s need for medical intervention.

"Although the officer may have suspected that Ms. Dawson was intentionally noncompliant, he nonetheless fully executed his duty and responsibility, requesting that medical professionals continue to verify Ms. Dawson’s health status, even after the medical professionals initially assessed and evaluated Ms. Dawson following her collapse. Any action by the law enforcement officer usurping and/or interfering with the medical professionals’ expertise, knowledge and advice, either upon Ms. Dawson’s discharge from Calhoun-Liberty Hospital (after approximately eight (8) hours of evaluation and treatment by medical professionals) or subsequently in the Calhoun-Liberty Hospital parking lot following her collapse, would have been reckless. Any suggestion otherwise by the lawyers involved in this matter is misleading and illogical.

"Regardless, Ms. Dawson’s passing is a loss felt by our community, and our thoughts and prayers remain with her family and friends during this time."

The dash cam video can be seen in it’s entirety at Tallahassee.com

Calhoun County Commissioners have declared a state of emergency. According to Jody Daniels of the Emergency Management Office, heavy rains are forecast tonight and could impact local rivers. The Chipola River in Scott's Ferry is of particular concern. Daniels says a public shelter is open. Call 674-8075 for shelter details. Also, fresh drinking water is available at the courthouse for anyone in need. The Calhoun County Emergency Management Center is being staffed around the clock. Call 674-8075 if you have any questions or concerns. Daniels urges everyone to stay off flooded roads. An updated list of road closures will be announced soon. More details as they become available.

The rivers are rising in Calhoun County, resulting in a few road closures. According to Emergency Management Director Angie Smith’s office, the Apalachicola River is at 24.49 and rising slightly. It is expected to crest at 24.8 on Tuesday. The Chipola River is at 16.61 and expected to crest Tuesday at 18.5. Road closures include:
Don O’Bryan Road
Parrish Lake Road East
John Redd Road
M.G. Holley Road
Lands Store Road
Ocheesee Landing
For more information, call the Emergency Management office at 674-8075.

The County Record had already gone to press Tuesday morning when news of Barbara Dawson's sudden death at Calhoun Liberty Hospital was reported.

Dawson, 57, had been forcibly removed from the facility Monday after being treated. [Full Story »] 

PRESS STATEMENT

From Blountstown Police Chief Mark Mallory, Blountstown, FL

First and foremost, our deepest condolences go out to the family of Ms. Barbara Dawson. As law enforcement officers we are frequently, and in fact, perhaps daily, called to the emergency room to ensure the safety of patients, staff, family members and visitors. During the early morning hours of December 21, 2015 at approx. 4:46 A.M. the Blountstown Police Department was called to the emergency department (ED) at Calhoun Liberty Hospital due to patient that refused to leave the ED after being discharged by a doctor.

A single officer from our department arrived at the ED at approx. 4:48 A.M. Upon arrival, medical staff at the ED notified our officer that the discharged patient, Ms. Barbara Dawson, had indeed been discharged by their physician and was refusing to leave her room. Our officer proceeded to this room where he greeted the patient and requested that she voluntarily cooperate and leave the premises. The officer made multiple requests for Dawson to leave the facility. Our officer asked an aunt, who was present in the room, if she could take her home. Ms. Dawson continued to refuse to cooperate at this time, and the officer took her into custody. Dawson was being charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.

The patient walked out of the ED under her own power, escorted by our officer. Upon arrival at the patrol car, our officer went to open the back door at which time Ms. Dawson collapsed and our officer attempted to control her fall to the ground. This occurred at approx. 4:59 A.M. Our officer tried to get Ms. Dawson to respond to his verbal commands. Our officer asked for help once he realized the patient did indeed appear to be unresponsive and had medical staff respond to Ms. Dawson at approx. 5:00 A.M.

Medical staff came to the patrol car and took Ms. Dawson’s vital signs. Ms. Dawson had a pulse and appeared to be breathing. Medical staff remained with Ms. Dawson and checked her vital signs on several occasions. During this time the right side handcuff was removed from Mrs. Dawson, while she was being monitored. A few moments later the ED physician came outside and instructed his team to bring Ms. Dawson back inside the ED. At this time, the care of Ms. Dawson was transferred to the ED staff. Our officer asked the doctor present with Ms. Dawson if she was being readmitted into the hospital and he advised that she was. Ms. Dawson was quickly transported back inside the ED.

According to interviews conducted with medical staff and the available audio from the officer’s in car camera, Ms. Dawson had a pulse and was alive when transferred back to the care of the doctor and hospital. Ms. Dawson expired while being attended to by a doctor in the ED, and was pronounced dead at approx. 6:24 A.M.

I have been briefed by our District 14 Medical Examiner out of Panama City, Florida as to the cause of death. The Medical Examiner indicated that the death had been ruled a natural death and that the cause of death was due to pulmonary saddle embolus due to thrombophlebitis, due to morbid obesity. This is commonly referred to as blood clot in the lungs.

The Blountstown Police Department will continue to investigate the events surrounding the death of Ms. Dawson. I have also requested that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) open their own independent investigation into this matter. The Blountstown Police Department will cooperate fully with FDLE during their investigation.

Blountstown is a small, close-knit community, we look after each other, and we care for each other. When our officers report to someone’s home, the scene of an accident, or the emergency department, the safety of all involved is our top concern. I am not a physician and cannot address the medical condition of Ms. Dawson. What I can say is that we all grieve when we lose a community member. Losing someone to a car accident or an existing medical condition, the loss is still the same.

Fracking and ambulance service to be discussed
[Full Story »] 

Southeastern Medical Supplies has had a few banner years. In fact, Calhoun Liberty Hospital has spent over $1 million with this business. The only problem? The company doesn’t exist. [Full Story »] 

BY KELLI PEACOCK DUNN
News Editor

Former Calhoun-Liberty Hospital Administrator Phillip Hill is being investigated by state and local authorities after an internal audit at the facility raised red flags.

The County Record questioned the hospital’s interim administrator, Ruth Attaway, who confirmed a criminal investigation is underway and Phillip Hill is the subject of that case.

“While reviewing the financial records of both the hospital and the ambulance service on September 30, we found significant inconsistencies and troubling evidence that led us to believe there was an elaborate criminal scheme to defraud the hospital of a large sum of money,” Attaway stated. “Upon discovering this, we immediately notified law enforcement and have been working with various authorities since the first of October to confirm the extent of these misdeeds.”

Sources indicate a vendor known as Southeasteren Medical Supplies - yes, the “Southeastern” in the company name is misspelled on all materials seized - came under scrutiny during the hospital’s internal audit. No record of the company’s existence could be found despite the hospital and EMS being billed thousands by this “supply company” on a monthly basis for years. The trail eventually led to a post office box in Tallahassee. More details about what was discovered from this point in the case will be released after the investigation is completed.

Hill resigned from the hospital back in August. Attaway confirmed the hospital "ended its relationship" with Hill over "management differences." She emphasized board members had no idea about the financial inconsistencies until after Hill was gone and they began auditing.

Attaway’s full statement and more details will be in this week’s print edition. No arrests have been made at this time as the investigation continues.

The County Record will reach out to Hill today to see if he wishes to comment.