When Food Service Director Pauline Samb slept on a cot in a locker room at the Washington County jail that nasty February night, she said she was simply doing her job.
The biggest storm of the season was hitting Washington County hard, covering the roads with snow faster than it could be cleared.
Samb knew that if she went home that night, the jail's inmates would go hungry the next day.
"We're responsible for feeding the inmates," Samb said recently, thinking back to the storm. "If I couldn't make it back to work, I wouldn't be able to take care of the job I'm here to do. It was just a part of my job."
While Samb's actions went unnoticed by the inmates, they won the attention of Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton, who awarded her a letter of appreciation at a recent recognition ceremony.
Gail Ennis, another county jail cook, was also recognized for staying at work that evening. Ennis was outside clearing off her car in the worst of the storm, but like Samb, quickly realized she should stay put when the snow kept piling up on her windshield.
"Pauline is a very giving person. She doesn't think twice about it," said Cmdr. Cheri Dexter of the Sheriff's Office. "She actually gets embarrassed when you mention it."
Although spending the night at the jail is not in their job description, Samb and Ennis did it again during a flash blizzard that dumped another 6 inches of snow on parts of the county earlier this month. Instead of sleeping on cots, however, they upgraded to mattresses on the floor of the kitchen.
