Mridanee Shetty
October 23, 2020
According to a news report from Guilford County Sheriff's office, Deputy LaKiya Rouse, a 26-year-old woman died after being tested positive for COVID-19 on October 21.
Deputy LaKiya Rouse
Source: People
Deputy Rouse had worked a full shift as a bailiff at the Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro on October 19. However, when she went to work on the following day, she was reported feeling sick and left early to seek medical treatment at a local hospital. She underwent a COVID-19 test as a part of the facility's protocol, according to People.
Though her test results were positive, Rouse died due to “medical related issues" and "no medical official has linked the positive COVID test result to her death" said the Sheriff's office, according to People.
"Our team suffered a terrible loss. No words can adequately express our sadness" added Sheriff D.H. Rogers.
"She protected me and made sure all things went the way they should. She was full of life and loved to laugh with me," Judge Lora Cubbage, who shared a courtroom with Rouse and also paid tribute to Rouse, her late colleague, wrote on her Facebook account. "We talked about other goals she wanted to accomplish in life and she made sure I had my candy on the bench. Lakiya Rouse, thank you for opening and closing my courts. Thank you for the laughter and the words 'you just a real judge, I like that'. To her family, we, her work family are mourning and praying with you. Heaven's gain is truly our loss" Cubbage continued.
"LaKiya was just a spirit that ,even as a baby, she was always loving and always loved people," said Rouse's mother, Joy Rouse, to WTSP. Rouse loved working with people and loved her job as a bailiff, according to her mother. "She was a smart young lady. Not only did she have the beauty, she had brains behind it." She added, "one day my baby was here, the next day my baby was gone".
The Guilford County Courthouse has been closed and will reopen to the public on October 28, WTSP reported.
As of Monday, there have been more than 8,739,400 COVID-19 cases and 225,300 deaths from the coronavirus related illness in the United States, according to a New York Times database.
According to a report in WTSP, Sheriff Danny Rogers said that Deputy Rouse worked a full day shift as a bailiff at the Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro on Monday, October 19. He said that Rouse spent time in Courtrooms 1C, 1D, 2B, and 2C while on duty.
The Sheriff issued an alert for anyone who may have been in those Greensboro courtrooms on Monday to get tested for COVID-19 and to be vigilant for any coronavirus-related symptoms.
(Sources: People, WTSP, Journal now)
Edited by: Shreya Gupta and Aditya Das