Two heroes from Wayne County honored
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 8, 2010 1:46 PM
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Joseph Hackett
Jeffrey Pope
Two area men have been recognized by the N.C. Department of Correction for outstanding job performance and acts of heroism.
Joseph Hackett, a probation/parole officer, and Lt. Jeffrey Pope, a corrections officer at Wayne Correctional Center, were among 22 honored during ceremonies held in Raleigh.
Hackett was named probation/parole officer of the year for heroism and was also nominated for the Governors Award for Excellence.
He was recognized for his actions in response to a woman struck down in the Rosewood community by a car traveling at high speed.
Off-duty at the time, he was speaking on the phone with a probationer who witnessed the incident. Hackett told the probationer to call 911 and then himself responded to the scene, where he administered life-saving CPR until emergency personnel arrived.
Pope was named one of the state's correctional officers of the year.
A war veteran, he helped extricate a woman from a burning vehicle. He reportedly witnessed a two-car collision, where one driver successfully removed himself from the vehicle while the second driver was still inside the vehicle.
Unable to open the door, Pope began extracting the woman through a twisted window. Another bystander aided in the rescue.