The video referenced in Part 1 of this series is said to be the reason there is now going to be an investigation into the custodial deaths of inmates at that county jail. Amidst pressures made by family members of inmates who died at the jail, the sheriff released a statement in the summer of 2020 stating that the deputies at the jail are not medical experts but they are, rather, law enforcement officers. He said that he has made it a priority to find the best available health care providers that will give inmates the same level of care they would receive if they weren’t incarcerated.

Back in December of 2019, a meeting at the town hall was organized so that former inmates and family members could state their concerns about the jail. Claims about the conditions at the jail included that they are inhumane and unsafe. What instigated that meeting was the 2018 death referenced earlier and described below.

A 2018 Custodial Death at the Jail

An inmate who later died while in custody was noted by a nurse to have bipolar disorder and to be behaving bizarrely when he was booked into the county jail. Signs of his psychosis were noted by several people. At no point, however, was the inmate scheduled to see a psychiatrist at the jail.  

The family claims that the disturbed inmate was denied adequate supervision, and they have mentioned an episode in which their loved one smeared feces on the walls of his own cell and refused to eat or drink anything. Instead of trying to help the man, the only action taken with regard to his failing health was that it was carefully documented.

The medical examiner wrote of the inmate’s eventual death was that he died from dehydration caused by his bipolar disorder.

In Part 1 and this continuing series, learn more about custodial deaths that occurred at the same county jail.

This is an informational post, as is every post on this website. No suggestions or implications of misconduct or wrongdoing are in any way intended.

–Guest Contributor