By Emily Fitzgerald
The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.
LEWIS COUNTY, Wash. — Three Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center employees received a standing ovation from a packed Lewis County Board of County Commissioners hearing room on Wednesday as they were publicly honored for their actions during an escape attempt at the facility on Jan. 16.
Lexie Brooks, Xylia Warner and Heidi Parnel each “put their lives on the line to keep this community and each other safe on the night of Jan. 15,” Lewis County Juvenile Court Administrator Shad Hail said during the ceremony on Wednesday, March 12.
“The three of them were the thin line, the only thing separating a violent individual from their community,” Hail later said. “Because of their awareness, their tenacity, their courage and their perseverance in the face of great cause, that line held.”
Brooks, a detention officer at the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center in the 1200 block of Southwest Pacific Avenue in Chehalis, was reportedly playing basketball with four male juvenile inmates in her charge around 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 15 when one of the boys, 17-year-old Daniel Michael Keough, made a run toward the fence, according to court documents and previous Chronicle reporting.
At the time, Keough was being held on first-degree murder and robbery charges, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Brooks had “been made aware” earlier that day Keough’s mother had called “concerned that Keough was trying to escape — saying he was going to be seeing her soon,” according to court documents.
Brooks reported that “she ran over and pulled him down,” at which point Keough allegedly “began to strike her on the face with a closed fist,” according to court documents.
How can a single corrections officer overcome multiple attackers? The video below discusses 12 recommendations COs can take in the event of an attack.
Keough also allegedly “picked her up and threw her on her back, which caused her to hit her head.”
Warner, another detention officer at the facility, responded to assist and pushed Keough against the fence, at which point Keough allegedly began to strike her in the head with a closed fist.
Brooks reportedly tried to handcuff Keough, but he “was able to break free and began hitting them with the handcuffs,” according to court documents.
Brooks reportedly stated she “felt it was possible that Keough would have killed them with the handcuffs and how he was hitting them.”
While Keough was assaulting the detention officers, a 16-year-old male inmate “came over and indicated he was going to help them,” but then allegedly joined in on the assault by tackling an officer to the ground and kicking her head.
Brooks and Warner successfully detained Keough, but the 16-year-old was able to open the gate and escape, according to court documents.
The 16-year-old was located “hiding in mud in the area of Dobson Court” at approximately 10:40 p.m. on Jan. 15 and was detained, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
“Lexie and Xylia displayed incredible bravery, unshakable resolve and immense commitment to protecting the safety of the community, at great personal risk to themselves,” Hail said Wednesday. “Even after being assaulted numerous times with kicks, punches, elbows, body slams and more from both detainees, they continued to come to the aid of each other and continued to fight to prevent the escape of a violent and dangerous individual for nearly 10 minutes. Even after both being injured, they pressed on, and they won their fight.”
Meanwhile, fellow detention officer Heidi Parnel was witnessing the altercation from the control room.
She immediately called for help while continuing to monitor the situation, Hail said.
“Her commitment to remain diligent and taking immediate action was a critical part in this situation,” Hail said. “She had to continue to remain focused and attempted to do the best multi-tasking job of her life as she juggled trying to follow the two detention officers on cameras (and) communicate with dispatch for what was happening,” all while initiating a lockdown at the juvenile detention facility and taking care to open doors for first responders as needed to move around the building, Hail said.
“Her ability to navigate an extremely complicated situation while under exceptional stress made the difference in getting help there for her partners that night,” Hail said.
Officers with the Chehalis Police Department arrived at the recreation yard within the Lewis County Juvenile Detention Center while Brooks and Warner were “struggling with” Keough and were able to help them fully detain him, according to court documents.
The altercation had been going on for approximately 10 minutes when police officers arrived.
Hail said that he and other Lewis County law enforcement personnel have watched surveillance footage of the altercation.
“I heard the same sentiments from every single person who has seen it, and I share them myself,” he said. “Sentiments like, ‘How could they keep fighting for that long?’ ‘Where does that kind of grit and fortitude come from?’”
Hail added that multiple Lewis County officers and other county employees “have expressed to me that if found in a similar situation, we could only hope to act with such bravery, courage and self sacrifice to protect another person and the community. That night, these three women were perseverance personified, and we owe them our respect, our appreciation and our gratitude.”
Members of the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners each took time during Wednesday’s ceremony to thank the three officers and praise them for their actions on Jan. 15 .
“You are absolutely heroes. There is no question, no doubt in my mind,” Commissioner Scott Brummer said.
“We are very grateful for our law enforcement and our corrections staff, and thankful that you guys, on a day-by-day basis, put yourselves in these types of positions to be able to help the greater community, and this is just a small token of our appreciation,” Commissioner Sean Swope said.
“I hope that going forward, you make good use of all the resources available to you to be able to hone your careers,” Commissioner Lindsay Pollock said.
Hail additionally thanked the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office , the Chehalis Police Department and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office for their response and assistance during the incident, Lewis County Juvenile Court staff who responded to the facility that night to support their peers.
“During that night and since that night, what you have done as a collective team has been nothing short of inspirational,” Hail said of Lewis County Juvenile Court and Juvenile Detention Center staff.
Keough was charged with Jan. 16 as an adult in Lewis County Superior Court with two counts of second-degree assault and one count each of first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and third-degree assault.
He was previously arrested alongside two other juveniles in May 2023 for allegedly robbing a Toledo-area gas station and murdering an employee, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Keough was 15 years old at the time.
His two co-defendants, Quinton M. Ramey and Taylor K. Lenihan, who were 17 and 16, respectively, at the time of the offense, were charged as adults in Lewis County Superior Court . Ramey was sentenced in November 2024 to 16 years in prison after he entered a guilty plea.
A mental competency evaluation ordered on Jan. 23 found that Keough was unable to participate in his own defense, and his Lewis County Superior Court case is on hold while he undergoes treatment, according to court documents. He is being housed in a secure area of the Lewis County Jail.
The 16-year-old’s case is being handled in Lewis County Juvenile Court.
Juvenile court records are not public record in Washington state.
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