Hamilton officer makes an emotional return to his high school post after near-death experience

Hamilton Police Officer Ernie Huff was roaming the halls of Hamilton High School again on Monday, enjoying the sights and sounds of well-wishers who were glad to see his face.

He serves as the school’s resource officer. But that nearly changed last November when Huff suffered a serious brain injury and nearly lost his life.

MORE: Hamilton police officer recovering after near-death experience

Balloons, high-fives and plenty of “welcome backs” were in store for Huff, 58, on Monday as he greeted students in the halls of the high school.

He paused briefly between several such exchanges and said, “the community, the churches, the school system and the police all sent me prayers it was awesome.”

His ordeal involved 72 hours of figuring out whether or not he would survive from a brain aneurysm. But after a few days on light desk duty last week, he said he wanted to give thanks to everybody for thinking about him during his near-death experience and welcoming him back with open arms.

Several students stopped between classes to connect with Huff.

“I was like, ‘He’s really here and back,’” said Adriana Hernandez, a senior. “It’s really great to have him back here.”

Huff noted about his first day back, “It is just awesome. God is good.”

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