BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- When Broome County Sheriff's deputies arrested David Sweat back in 2002, it gave a grieving family closure as a community breathed a sigh of relief. His escape from prison more than a decade later came as a shock, not only to his own family, but to the very deputies who arrested him.

"It was a very nerve-racking time," said Capt. Kathleen Newcomb of the Broome County Sheriff's Office, "and I think that everybody probably lost a lot of sleep in those first few days."

It was a day that hit close to home for the Broome County Sheriff's Office. After hearing the news that two men had escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility, they feared for the worst.

And they would soon learn that they were very familiar with one of those inmates -- David Sweat, who had killed their fellow deputy, Kevin Tarsia, in 2002.

Those who served with Tarsia called Sweat extremely dangerous, and said they began to worry for the safety of the Dannemora community.

"I think that it was at the forefront of everybody's minds during the length of that investigation. We were very nervous that somebody else was going to get hurt," said Newcomb.

The escape also brought back painful memories of loss for Tarsia's friends. Newcomb remembers Tarsia as being a kindhearted person that could make light of even the most difficult situations.

"When I think of Kevin and somebody asks me about Kevin, the very first thing I think about was he had this silly giggle, almost over everything. He had the type of infectious giggle that, when he started to giggle, it made you giggle," said Newcomb.

But it wasn't just Tarsia's personality that fellow deputies remember him by. They say he took his work seriously and was very thorough each and every day.

"When he wrote a report, he was very meticulous," said Newcomb. "His handwriting was meticulous. He was very conscientious insofar as he wanted to get every detail. He didn't want to leave anything out."

Newcomb says she's grateful authorities were able to recapture Sweat, especially for the Tarsia family.

"They can rest well knowing that David Sweat is back behind locked doors, that the New York State prison system is taking a hard look in doing some analysis in some of the programs that they had, and taking steps to make changes to those programs," said Newcomb.

A memorial blood drive in Tarsia's name will be held on Thursday, June 23.