Custer County Detention Officer Helps Deliver Inmate's Baby

An inmate unexpectedly gives birth inside the Custer County Jail, and a deputy ends up delivering the baby. It is certainly not what he thought he would be doing. The inmate wasn't due until October and went into labor prematurely.

Inmates can make some pretty bogus claims sometimes.

“There were no obvious signs at first, and we get a lot of false reports from our inmates at times,” Custer County Deputy Dan Brownfield said. “So I had to verify.”

At first, Brownfield didn't know he was actually going to deliver a baby. He thought he was just going to transport the inmate who was in labor.

“By the time I got my car in position to take her in there, I came in here, and she said, ‘You don’t understand. This baby is here. We’re having it.’”

An ambulance now on the way, Brownfield grabbed rubber gloves and headed into the cell.

“She made every indication that it was starting to come out,” he said. “I could see legs and hip coming out. It was coming out breech.”

Years ago, Brownfield was an EMT, and those old instincts kicked into action.

“I just basically supported the baby while coaching her to give it some pushes, and we got the baby out,” he said. “Gave him some rub down and kind of got him stimulated a little bit, cleared out the airway.”

Before everyone knew it, a baby was born, right there in cell number 122.

“Real small, real tiny baby,” Brownfield said. “Fit in one hand.”

Weighing just over three pounds, Brownfield wrapped him in clean towels - a miracle in the most unlikely of places.

“He looked at me and started crying,” he said. “And we were good.”

Both mother and baby were transported to the hospital.

Jail officials say this is the first time anyone has given birth while incarcerated there.