sherri13
09-23-2002, 08:26 AM
Concern grows over jail deaths
9-23-02
News & Record
Posted 9:13 a.m.
ASHEVILLE (AP) -- Eleven inmates have died in western North Carolina jails since May, highlighting problems with oversight, staffing and building conditions.
Eight inmates were killed in May when a fire broke out at the Mitchell County Jail and there was no way for administrators to release them quickly in an emergency.
Two inmates died in hangings in recent weeks in Jackson and Macon counties.
In Cherokee County, a diabetic inmate died Sept. 5 after his parents pleaded with jailers and 911 dispatchers for more than three hours to send an ambulance for their son. "I think the whole state needs to be cleaned up as far as these jails are run, not by the county and not by the legislature, but by the State Bureau of Investigation," said state Sen. Bob Carpenter, R-Macon. The SBI is investigating the death of Christopher Lee Wood, 26, in Cherokee County's jail. The Jackson and Macon deaths also are under investigation.
Statewide, 21 inmates have died in county jails this year.
Despite local concerns that problems in the Cherokee County jail are severe, the SBI will not extend its probe beyond Wood's death, said Charles Moody, the special agent in charge of the agency's western district. "We're routinely turning down cases now that we don't have the manpower to respond to," he said. Wood had been off his regimen of three insulin shots and two pills a day for at least two days before his death. His parents have said they found their son semiconscious in the jail, unable to speak clearly or raise his head. An inmate who shared a jail cell with him said Wood was sick at least 24 hours before he was taken to a hospital.
Jail records released last week contradict their account. The records say Wood was responsive and talking in the hour before his death despite being off insulin. The county's Emergency Medical Services director said he offered to send an ambulance after 911 calls from Marylin and James Wood.
But Jail Administrator Judy Mason refused, EMS Director Chuck Clayton said. Mason and Cherokee County Sheriff Alan Kilpatrick have declined to comment.
9-23-02
News & Record
Posted 9:13 a.m.
ASHEVILLE (AP) -- Eleven inmates have died in western North Carolina jails since May, highlighting problems with oversight, staffing and building conditions.
Eight inmates were killed in May when a fire broke out at the Mitchell County Jail and there was no way for administrators to release them quickly in an emergency.
Two inmates died in hangings in recent weeks in Jackson and Macon counties.
In Cherokee County, a diabetic inmate died Sept. 5 after his parents pleaded with jailers and 911 dispatchers for more than three hours to send an ambulance for their son. "I think the whole state needs to be cleaned up as far as these jails are run, not by the county and not by the legislature, but by the State Bureau of Investigation," said state Sen. Bob Carpenter, R-Macon. The SBI is investigating the death of Christopher Lee Wood, 26, in Cherokee County's jail. The Jackson and Macon deaths also are under investigation.
Statewide, 21 inmates have died in county jails this year.
Despite local concerns that problems in the Cherokee County jail are severe, the SBI will not extend its probe beyond Wood's death, said Charles Moody, the special agent in charge of the agency's western district. "We're routinely turning down cases now that we don't have the manpower to respond to," he said. Wood had been off his regimen of three insulin shots and two pills a day for at least two days before his death. His parents have said they found their son semiconscious in the jail, unable to speak clearly or raise his head. An inmate who shared a jail cell with him said Wood was sick at least 24 hours before he was taken to a hospital.
Jail records released last week contradict their account. The records say Wood was responsive and talking in the hour before his death despite being off insulin. The county's Emergency Medical Services director said he offered to send an ambulance after 911 calls from Marylin and James Wood.
But Jail Administrator Judy Mason refused, EMS Director Chuck Clayton said. Mason and Cherokee County Sheriff Alan Kilpatrick have declined to comment.