Correctional Officer Darla Kay Lathrem
Florida Department of Corrections
End of Watch: Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: 00443
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: Wednesday, June 11, 2003
Weapon Used: Person
Suspect Info: Sentenced to death
Officer Lathrem was killed as she supervised five inmates on a
construction detail inside the Charlotte Correctional Institution.
She was assaulted by three of the inmates as they made an attempt to
escape. The inmates were assisting with the building of a new
dormitory for the maximum security prison and had access to tools such
as hammers and screwdrivers.
Two of the inmates were attacked by the other three when they refused
to participate in the escape attempt. One of the victim inmates died
as a result of his injuries. Two of the escaping inmates were captured
between the facility and the inner perimeter fence. The third was
caught between the inner and outer perimeter fences. The inmate that
killed Officer Lathrem was sentenced to death on March 31st, 2006. The
inmate 'mastermind' of the escape was convicted of her murder on June
23rd, 2006 and sentenced to death on August 18th, 2006. The third
inmate had agreed to cooperate in exchange for a life sentence, but
the judge rejected his guilty plea because of concerns about his
mental competence.
Officer Lathrem's death was the first corrections officer fatality at
the facility. Additionally, she was the first female corrections
officer to be killed in the line of duty in Florida. She had been with
the Florida Department of Corrections for one year.
She is survived by her parents, three sisters, their husbands and nieces and nephews
NOTE:
Officer Lathrem was nominated by Officer Chris Hudson to receive The
Ofc. Tye Pratt Memorial Award and this installment was entered on
April 2, 2010 by The Tye Band Company Selection Committee.
To Order Click... HERE
The Tye BandTM Memorial Bracelets / Memorial Wristband and
The TyeTags© Memorial Necklace / Keychain are also available.
Click... HERE
Honore
