Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond has been discharged from the hospital following treatment for COVID-19 symptoms.
"We are pleased to announce that both Sheriff Jim Hammond and Chief of Staff Gino Bennett have returned home to continue their recovery after a brief stay at a local medical facility due to their COVID-19 diagnosis," Chief Deputy Austin Garrett said in a statement.
The sheriff and Bennett will continue to quarantine, as recommended by their physicians, Garrett said.
"They are both in good spirits and hope to return to the HCSO administrative offices soon," Garrett added. "We want to thank the community again for their prayers and well wishes for Sheriff Hammond and Chief Bennett as they recover."
Hammond tested positive for the virus last week after being in contact with Bennett, who had tested positive for the virus and was in intensive care last week.
After initially being asymptomatic, the sheriff's office announced on Monday that Hammond was experiencing mild symptoms and was taken to a hospital the following day for treatment.
At the time, Garrett described Hammond's status as OK despite body aches and other "normal" COVID-19 symptoms. Garrett said the trip to the hospital was to get ahead of the virus by seeking additional treatment.
Hammond remained at the hospital on Thursday, based on the recommendation of his physician, Garrett announced in a news release that afternoon.
"Sheriff Hammond's condition continues to improve, but his oxygen levels and breathing will continue to be monitored," Garrett said. "He will begin treatment for his lungs today."
In a public Facebook post, Hammond's wife, Jeanie Hammond, said on Thursday that the sheriff had been experiencing "some issues with his oxygen levels & when he tries to breathe deeply he starts coughing!"
"They started him on steroids & treatment for his lungs! So he cannot come home today!"
In earlier posts, Jeanie Hammond said that both she and her husband were experiencing symptoms and had gone to the doctor late Tuesday, though only the sheriff was hospitalized.
The sheriff, who is in his 70s, has said he does not plan to seek re-election.
Earlier this year, Hammond questioned the effectiveness of masks to stifle the spread of the coronavirus and would not commit to being tested for the virus after being photographed not wearing a mask at a crowded Lincoln Day celebration hosted by the Hamilton County Republicans.
In an interview with News Channel 9 at around the same time as the event, Hammond said, "My personal thoughts, I'm not convinced the masks are doing that much good."
Upon testing positive for the virus, Hammond reversed course, saying he "didn't mean it in the spirit that I know better than the scientists did."
"My opinion has always been masks cannot hurt. I think that masking is an individual choice when it comes to just, you're away from other people and out on the street or somewhere, where you're not in a crowd. I think if you are in a crowd, you're wise to wear a mask," he said during a Zoom news conference announcing his positive test. "If you are asked to wear masks, you should be kind enough to tell the person, 'Yes, I will either mask up or remove myself from the area.' That's my position on it, that you use caution. You protect your own family. You protect yourself. And you try to protect others."
The sheriff's office is tasked with enforcing a county health department mask mandate, which was recently extended through Nov. 22. Hammond has maintained he will not "harass" anyone not wearing a mask - a violation that carries a $50 fine and up to 30 days in jail - but would instead issue warnings when possible.
The department has issued no known citations since the mandate was first issued in July.
Contact Rosana Hughes at 423-757-6327, rhughes@timesfreepress.com or follow her on Twitter @HughesRosana.