‘It’s never goodbye, it’s only until next time’: Sedgwick Lt. remembers fallen coworker

Fabiola Torres will never forget the first batch of Sedgwick County Jail deputies she trained.

Not because it was her first class, but rather because of one jail recruit sitting at a desk in the front. While everyone else was “wide-eyed, white knuckles and just nervous,” recruit Sidnee Carter was smiling — swinging her legs that couldn’t touch the ground.

“She’s the only one smiling, happy, excited, ready to be there and conquer this new challenge,” Torres said. “Deputy Carter was like that every day.”

Friday was an emotional day for Torres and many others as the beloved, bubbly deputy was laid to rest. Carter died on Oct. 7 after colliding with another vehicle while headed to a disturbance call.

Carter was the first female and 10th Sedgwick County deputy to die in the line of duty.

Elected officials, family, coworkers and friends attended the funeral. Along the route to the cemetery, others lined the roads to pay their respect to Carter.

Torres was also in attendance — partly for her job as the Sedgwick County Honor Guard commander but also for a friend. The honor guard assists in the burial of fallen deputies.

Carter, 22, had long dreamed of being in law enforcement. Carter’s future in law enforcement was bright, Torres said.

“She had the spunk, she had the drive, she had ambition,” Torres said. “She wanted to be a part of something bigger … She wore the uniform with pride.”

Carter started with the sheriff’s office in 2020 and went to the jail after graduating from an 11-week course. At graduation, she asked to take a photo with Torres.

“A tiny little thing, but look at that smile,” Torres said as she thought about the photo.

Torres is 5-foot-10; Carter was 4-foot-11.

The jail uniform Carter wore in the photo had to be special ordered, Torres said. The only place Torres recalled her height affecting her job was while doing regular checks of the inmates. Carter wasn’t tall enough to look into the cells, so she hauled around a milk crate to stand on.

Carter was inquisitive, always asking “why,” since she was never just satisfied with this is how you do this, Torres said. Her curiosity and ambition propelled her to becoming a field training deputy in half the time it takes most people, Torres said.

Soon, Carter was ready to move on to patrol. She turned to Torres for advice and reassurance.

Carter had been on patrol by herself less than a week when the accident happened. The driver she collided with had a stop sign, Sheriff Jeff Easter said.

“Sidnee is a very bubbly personality, extremely friendly, always helpful, was always smiling, well respected by her peers, her supervisors, and she is a little bit short in nature, but there is no hill that she couldn’t climb,” Easter said during a news conference the day after the accident.

Torres said she had talked with Carter just hours before the crash. Torres messaged her that she loved her and to be safe.

“She said, ‘always, love you too,’” Torres said.

Then Torres got the call about the accident. She met Carter’s body at the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center and stayed the night with her. She also took many of the shifts throughout the week.

“Not only is what we do for honor guard, but I did it for her,” she said. ”It is the very, very least that we can do for her family and her.”

Torres said it felt like it was her duty to be there. It wasn’t until the taps played at Carter’s graveside that the job turned into emotions. Torres started to cry for her former coworker who she mentored and who along the way became a friend.

She went up after the service, put her hand on the casket, and said:

“It’s never goodbye, it’s only until next time.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 6:29 PM.