$2,500 Settlement by Indiana County Over Prisoner's Delayed Medical Care
Indiana’s Allen County agreed to pay $2,500 to settle a civil rights action alleging it denied medical care to treat a pretrial detainee’s prostate disease.
Terry Ray Dowell was arrested on two misdemeanor charges and booked into the Allen County Jail on October 12, 2016. He told officials that he suffered prostate disease and had to use a catheter.
He informed a nurse on October 14 that his catheter “had failed, collapsed, broken, or become infected and had started to cause him excruciating pain.” The nurse refused to remove the catheter and told Dowell to purchase aspirin from the commissary to treat his pain. When he pointed out the commissary was not open over the weekend, she responded, “Now you’re on jail time.” His request for care every day between October 15 and 25 was denied.
Finally, on October 26, Dowell was allowed to see a doctor at a hospital. The doctor found Dowell was suffering from “penile and perineal abscesses,” plus “his catheter was ‘poorly functioning.’”
His condition was so severe that surgery was required to replace the catheter.
Represented by Fort Wayne attorney David W. Frank, Dowell sued on July 13, 2018. The $2,500 settlement was inclusive of attorney fees and was reached on October 4, 2019. See: Dowell v. Cook, Gladieux and Quality Correctional Care, LLC, Allen County, Indiana, Superior Court, Case No. 02D03-1708-CT-473
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