Two Kentucky Jail Guards Face Charges in Prisoner’s Death
by David Reutter
A special prosecutor has been appointed to try a first-degree manslaughter case against two Kentucky jail guards indicted in the 2013 beating death of a 54-year-old prisoner who was being held on a DUI charge. Assistant Attorney General Barbara Maines-Whaley was named on February 26, 2014 to serve as prosecuting attorney.
Maines-Whaley will present the state’s evidence against Kentucky River Regional Jail guards Damon W. Hickman and William C. Howell, who were indicted for the July 9, 2013 death of prisoner Larry Trent after an altercation at the jail. Following the incident, Trent was restrained and placed in a holding cell. At around 10:50 a.m., jail staff found him unresponsive; he was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Although an official cause of death was not released, the state medical examiner’s preliminary report cited “jail beating” as the cause of Trent’s injuries. That report found Trent had suffered “blunt impacts of the head, trunk, and extremities with multiple skeletal and visceral injuries.”
In an incident report obtained by the Hazard Herald newspaper, Howell wrote that Trent “came out fighting. I tased him, [but] he ...
$36 Million Awarded to Two Men Wrongfully Convicted of Rape, Murder
by David Reutter
A New York federal jury awarded $36 million to two of three former prisoners wrongfully convicted in the 1984 rape and murder of a teenage girl.
The horrific death of Theresa Fusco, 16, was a high-profile ...
$1.2 Million Award for Failure to Treat New York Prisoner’s Rectal Bleeding
by David Reutter
A New York Court of Claims awarded $1.2 million to a former prisoner who was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer after prison medical personnel failed to properly treat his complaints of rectal bleeding.
While at ...
Due Process Violation for “Sham” Reviews During 13 Years in Segregation
by David M. Reutter
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a grant of summary judgment to prison officials on a due process claim, holding there was sufficient evidence for a jury to determine whether a prisoner received “sham” ...
16 Years of Failure to Treat Neurological Disorder Results in $48,000 Award
by David Reutter
A New York Court of Claims awarded a prisoner $48,000 for pain and suffering caused by prison medical staff rendering inadequate treatment during his first 16 years of incarceration, “including a failure to maintain proper ...
Medical Malpractice Caused California Prisoner’s Death, $177,500 Settlement
by David M. Reutter
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDOC) paid $177,500 to settle a lawsuit claiming that medical malpractice caused a prisoner’s death.
Prisoner Tyrell Rippetoe was a dialysis patient susceptible to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections at his ...
$650,000 Settlement in Prisoner’s Preventable Death at CCA Prison
by David Reutter
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $650,000 to settle a matter involving the death of a prisoner at the Metro-Davidson County Detention Center (MDCDC).
In a September 20, 2006 demand letter sent to CCA by the Sloss family ...
$120,000 Settlement in Suicide of CCA Prisoner
by David M. Reutter
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) paid $120,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging it failed to provide proper psychiatric care for a prisoner at the Whiteville Correctional Facility, resulting in his suicide.
Prisoner Ricky Ware was known to have suffered ...
$75,000 Settlement in CCA Prisoner’s Suicide
by David M. Reutter
Corrections Corporation of America paid $75,000 to settle a lawsuit seeking redress for its failure to provide care to prevent a prisoner’s suicide.
Whiteville Correctional Facility prisoner, Lawrence Ware, Jr., was known to suffer from mental problems. On March 5, ...
$60,000 for CCDA Prisoner Denied Cancer Treatment
by David M. Reutter
Corrections Corporation of America paid $60,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that officials at the Whiteville Correctional Facility (WCF) failed to provide scheduled cancer surgeries for prisoner David E. Plunk.
Prior to his transfer to WCF, Plunk, a Vietnam ...
