[Peace] Estate of Quentin Larry Sues Sheriff Dan Walsh After 5 Deaths in the County Jail

[Brian Dolinar]

This article and a photo at ucimc.org


On May 4, 2007, the Estate of Quentin Larry filed a civil suit in federal
court for the wrongful death of Quentin Larry. They are represented by Jude
Redwood, a civil rights attorney from St. Joseph, in case #07-CV-2093.

When Quentin Larry died in the Champaign County jail over Memorial Day
weekend 2006, he was the fifth death to occur in the jail over a two-year
period. Another man, age 31, died of a heart attack in 2005. Jail deaths
became an issue in 2004, when there were three jail suicides in six months.
Only eight or nine jail suicides are documented in Illinois each year. In
2004, jail suicides in Champaign County were one third of the total in the
state.

Additionally, in November 2005 it was discovered that a jail guard was using
a Taser on inmates while they were fully restrained. Sheriff Dan Walsh and
the Champaign County Board has refused calls for an independent
investigation. This new civil suit by the Estate of Quentin Larry may now
get to the bottom of what is going on in the county jail. But it may be far
more costly to the taxpayers of Champaign County.

Coroner's Inquest

Quentin Larry was arrested early morning on May 27, 2006 by Urbana police.
He was charged with a misdemeanor and taken to the satellite jail. At the
Coroner's inquest in August, we heard testimony from Champaign police
officer Mark Huckstep, who did the investigation. (In Champaign County, an
"independent" investigation can involve Champaign city police investigating
the Champaign County Sheriff's Department.)

According to Huckstep, at 12:45 p.m. on May 27, a 20-minute mental health
evaluation was conducted on Larry. The nurse found that he had high blood
pressure and was acting paranoid and delusional. Yet at that time, no
special treatment was given to Larry.

At approximately 9:00 p.m., over 17 hours after Larry arrived in the jail,
he was found collapsed on the floor of his cell. At 9:04, Sergeant Johnson
had checked up on Larry. At 9:09, Johnson found Larry down and not
breathing. When there was an attempt to administer CPR, a bag was found in
Larry's mouth and removed. He was revived and sent to Carle Hospital, where
he arrived at 9:29 p.m. The next morning, May 28, at 6:10 a.m. the doctors
pronounced him dead.

Huckstep's explanation was that Larry had died after he had swallowed the
bag, the bag was ripped open, and the cocaine contained in the bag caused an
overdose. Officer Huckstep concluded by saying, "I believe they did
everything they could to try to save him."

Excessive Physical Force

The civil suit complaint claims that Sheriff's Deputies knew that Larry
required emergency care but refused to take action. It alleges that Deputies
used "excessive physical force" against Larry and caused his death. The suit
claims that Sheriff Walsh created an atmosphere where "unconstitutional
behavior is ratified, tolerated, acquiesced or condoned, in reckless
disregard and deliberate indifference to the welfare of the public."

One of Walsh's Deputies named in the suit is Jeremy Heath, who had
participated with former Sgt. William Alan Myers, in beating inmate Michael
Rich in 2004 and falsified a police report (04-CF-2053). Rich filed a formal
complaint and Walsh did nothing.

Also named in the suit is Health Professionals Ltd., a private provider that
started in 1995 and has grown with the ever-expanding prison industrial
complex. HPL was hired by Walsh in May 2004. The civil suit claims that the
HPL nurse on duty was negligent in providing care for Larry.

The suit was filed to provide compensation for Larry's two young children
who were left fatherless.

Inmate Rights

Remember, inmates in the county jail have not been found guilty of anything.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees the fair treatment of jail inmates and
protects them from "cruel and unusual punishment."

Despite his boyish demeanor, Sheriff Dan Walsh has been arrogant and defiant
when questioned about the conditions in the jail. In a public forum held on
March 13, 2007, Walsh was asked about what he thought about a police review
board. He responded, "There is one. Its every four years for the Sheriff and
any other elected official."

After hearing the testimony of Officer Huckstep, the six member coroner's
jury came back with a ruling that found Quentin Larry's death to be
accidental. They entered a recommendation that Sheriff Dan Walsh review the
procedure for processing individuals and conduct more thorough searches.

A year after Larry's death, how can we to be sure that any such
recommendations have been implemented? How is the public to know there will
not be another death in the county jail as the summer approaches and the
jails begin to swell with black and poor people?

BD

-- 
Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
303 W. Locust St.
Urbana, IL 61801
briandolinar at gmail.com
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