WARM graduate now suits up for the sheriff’s office
(This article first appeared in the October print edition of the Hendersonian.)
September is the month in which the nation honors women in law enforcement. It’s also a month in which addiction recovery is celebrated.
For Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Toni Hudspeth, she couldn’t have one without the other.
“I try to use my story to help other people,” she said. “Because the people I come into contact with aren’t bad people. They are making bad choices. A lot of it has to do with drug and alcohol abuse. I once lived that life.”
Fast approaching her third anniversary as a sheriff’s deputy and almost seven years sober, the 37-year-old said her life took a detour in her early 20s.
“I wasn’t abused … nothing like that happened in my life. I had a good family and went to college and was majoring in sociology and minored in criminology,” Hudspeth said. “I always knew I wanted to go into law enforcement. But I started hanging out with the wrong people and doing things I shouldn’t be doing. I got to where I wasn’t talking to my family because I was ashamed of who I’d become.”
Hudspeth said her life became a cycle of chaos.
“It got bad. It got really bad,” she said. “I don’t think people realize, because when they see me now, they don’t see who I was then, like seven years ago.”
Then she was presented with an opportunity to go through the program at the Women’s Addiction Recovery Manor in Henderson.
“I knew I needed it,” she said. “It was that or death.”
Hudspeth left her then city of residence, Bowling Green, moved to Henderson and immersed herself in recovery. She completed the program and did so well that she was offered a staff position.
“Everyone who works at WARM has been through the WARM program,” she said. “I got to work there with my best friend, Caroline.”
She pauses briefly before adding, “Caroline is no longer with us. She has since died of an overdose.”
After two years as a WARM employee, she said, it was time to move in a different direction.
“I realized WARM is a steppingstone to get your life back. It was an opportunity to again learn how to work without a drug or alcohol,” she said.
Hudspeth landed a job with Henderson attorney Ken Kasacavage, who was then Master Commissioner in Henderson County.
(In Kentucky, master commissioners are appointed by the circuit judge to handle special proceedings such as foreclosures.)
“Ken Kasacavage is a Godsend. So, when I left WARM I worked at the courthouse. I worked in the chambers of Judge Jill Brady and Judge Leslie Newman because that’s where Ken’s office was located. They are awesome people. They know my story and have always been really supportive.”
The Henderson County Courthouse is also where she became acquainted with Court Security Officer Mike Book, who she says played an integral role in her story. More on that later.
When Kasacavage’s term began winding down, he encouraged Hudspeth to pursue a different career.
That long-buried dream of going into law enforcement resurfaced.
“I asked Ken, ‘Do you think I can get into law enforcement?’”
With no felony convictions to hinder her, Kasacavage told her to go for it.
Hudspeth did and applied to an area law enforcement agency.
“When they found out I’m from Bowling Green, they asked, ‘What brought you to Henderson?’ And I can’t lie. That’s what WARM and recovery taught me. I can’t lie, no matter how much humility it takes. I told the truth that I’d gone through the program at WARM, and they looked at me like I had a third eye. I didn’t get that job. But I’m a firm believer in that what’s supposed to happen will happen.”
She tried again with a second area agency. Just as before, Hudspeth said she was transparent about her past.
“I got pretty far in the hiring process, but God kept that door closed for a reason,” she said.
Here’s where Mike Book comes in.
“Mr. Book told me that the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office was hiring,” Hudspeth said. “At this point, I’ve applied to two agencies and been told no. I’m pretty down on myself. But he would ask me every, single day if I’d applied to the sheriff’s office. And every day, I’d have to say, ‘No, sir.’”
“Finally, I decided, I’d have to apply just so he’d leave me alone. I put in an application and got a call to come in for an interview.”
Hudspeth said she was absolutely terrified.
“I told Ken, that this is where I’m getting hung up. I’m being too honest, but I don’t know how else to be. Especially, with a law enforcement job, they’re going to find out anyway. They’re going to run my credit history, so why not just have them hear it from me instead of them doing the research and finding all of this?
“It took a lot of humility to go through three interviews with these authority figures because for more than 10 years of my life, I didn’t like the police since I wasn’t living right. I had bad interactions with police because I wasn’t living right. It was my doing. It took a lot to get up there during the interview and talk to them. I’d leave those interviews … and just cry. I’ll never forget that time. It was just a whole process.”
And then something happened. Former Henderson County Sheriff David Crafton decided to give her a chance.
Crafton—who retired from the Kentucky State Police only to join the ranks of the HCSO and eventually become sheriff—told the Hendersonian he’s never regretted his decision.
“She impressed me as someone who is painfully truthful,” he said. “Her answers to our questions weren’t rehearsed, but sincere. None of us like to talk about mistakes we’ve made in life, but she didn’t hold back.
“Her determination to lead a good life was evident,” Crafton said. “I really felt after the interview that she was someone who could be trusted, a quality more important in law enforcement than experience. Everything after the interview has reinforced that first impression. Our sheriff’s office is staffed with good people, and she is one of them.”
Hudspeth said it took a while to believe that she was finally becoming a police officer.
“It was so surreal. The most profound moment for me came after I’d completed the academy. I was gone for six months. I graduated, and I’m driving back from the academy, and I just start crying. It just hit me like, ‘You have done this!’”
“I’m so grateful for the life I have today. There’s no describing it. My sobriety date is Feb. 12, 2018. Seven years ago, you would not have convinced me that I would be a police officer.”
As the county’s only female deputy, Hudspeth said she knows the importance of equipping herself to meet the physical challenges that sometimes come with a law enforcement position.
“I work out a lot. I do Crossfit to stay in shape. I train in Ju Jitsu a little bit … it’s something I only do because of this job. Having to fight big, burly men isn’t my cup of tea, but I look at it like if it saves my life one day, then it’s something I have to do. If something ever happened to me, I’d want to know I did everything I could to prepare for that moment,” she said.
However, she said, “I don’t think of myself as the only female deputy anymore. I’m just one of them.”
Three years into her chosen profession, Hudspeth said she loves being counted among the law enforcement community, and is committed to moving forward.
“It’s the most rewarding job you’ll ever have,” she said. “When people are at their worst, that’s when they call the police. You see people at their worst moments, but you get to be the ounce of hope. Sometimes with the people I interact with, I see myself seven years ago, that brokenness.
“I love that the job is different every day; it’s never the same. It’s a hard job, but at this point, I look at it like a calling. When I have rough days, and I see rough stuff, and I question ‘Can I do this job?’ I know I can do it because God brought me to this. Yes, it’s a hard job, but God will get me through because it’s where He wants me.”
As a law enforcement officer, she said, “I learn something every single day. I like answering 911 calls, interacting with people. I do want to continue to progress and keep doing better and better. But I’m still learning. It takes a while to get used to doing this job.”
Hudspeth said it’s not unusual for her to come face to face with what her life could have been.
“I’ve gone on calls where I’ve had to administer Narcan to people I was with at WARM. It’s an eye opener about what can happen if I don’t continue to work my program. That could be me. It’s all about choices.”
These experiences are among the reasons Hudspeth said she doesn’t waste an opportunity to talk to people before they enter addiction or help those trying to get out.
A member of the Henderson County Drug Court Team, the deputy also speaks to students at Henderson County High School regarding the choices that led to her addiction. “I tell them, ‘Don’t think for a minute it can’t happen to you because it can,’” she said.
In 2023, Hudspeth was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award during an awards ceremony at WARM.
“It was one of the best days of my life,” she said. “I felt so honored that they gave it to me.”
Hudspeth said her current supervisors, Henderson County Sheriff Chip Stauffer and Chief Deputy Dwight Duncan attended the ceremony.
“It’s amazing to have bosses who support me,” she said. “They don’t question my word or my honesty. They trust me as much as they trust anyone else. And trust is everything. Your word is everything.”
“Chip is a mentor; so was David Crafton. I’ve been blessed to have two really good bosses,” she said.
Stauffer said Hudspeth “does an excellent job” as a sheriff’s deputy.
“Toni brings a very unique perspective to our office, and because of her experiences, I believe our community is better represented and therefore better served,” he said.
Her fellow deputies and supervisors aren’t the only ones who trust and depend on her.
On Sept. 12—National Police Woman Day—the following was posted on Facebook from a woman Hudspeth served after her son was killed in a vehicle accident on Airline Road: “This lady sat with me for two hours on the worst night of my life. I’m so thankful she was there.
“She never left my side as I waited for my family to get there. The road was closed down, so my family had to run a mile to get to me. It took forever, and she just kept talking to me; got me a blanket to sit on … I will forever be grateful for this young lady. She is very special. Happy National Police Women’s Day. Toni, you are the best!”
