CNN
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Three Fulton County, Georgia jail officials have resigned amid an investigation into the death of an inmate whose family said he was held in a filthy, bug-infested cell that “was not fit for a sick animal.”
The chief jailer at the Fulton County Jail and two deputy chief jailers submitted their resignations at the request of Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat during a senior executives meeting over the weekend, the sheriff’s office said in a statement, without naming them.
“I realize it’s high time to start cleaning the house,” Labat said in Monday’s statement, which announced “major changes” at the facility.
The resignations come as Lashawn Thompson’s family is demanding a criminal inquest into his September 2022 death at the Atlanta prison and the construction of a new facility.
Thompson’s family said his death was the result of unsanitary prison conditions and complications from insect bites. “The cell he was in was not suitable for a sick animal. This is inexcusable and unfortunate,” family attorney Michael Harper said at a news conference last week while holding up photos allegedly showing conditions in Thompson’s jail cell.
“The manner and cause of death was listed as ‘undetermined’ by the district court physician. A full investigation has been launched into the circumstances of Mr. Thompson’s death,” the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday.
Because of health privacy regulations, the sheriff’s office was unable to release information about Thompson’s medical condition at the time of his arrest, “or what decisions he made regarding his right to accept or refuse medical care,” the statement said.
Labat asked for the resignation of prison officials after reviewing preliminary evidence collected during the internal investigation, he said in Monday’s statement.
“Collectively, the existing leadership team has over 65 years of prison administration and law enforcement experience. When used optimally, this experience can be invaluable. However, it can also lend itself to complacency, stagnation and reassurance with the status quo,” the statement said.
In addition, the sheriff’s office is reviewing “all legal options to change medical providers and to re-contract with a provider who can effectively, consistently and compassionately provide the best standard of care,” the statement said.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office said it had already taken “several emergency measures,” including a $500,000 emergency spending, “to combat infestations of bed bugs, lice and other vermin” at the prison. A process to relocate more than 600 inmates to other counties “to alleviate overcrowding, at an average cost of about $40,000 per day” has also begun, the sheriff’s office said.
Thompson was in prison for about three months before his death and was placed in the psychiatric wing because he suffered from mental health problems, said Harper, the family attorney. He was held for assault.
The 35-year-old was born in Winter Haven, Fla. and has lived in Atlanta on and off for the past several years, his brother Brad McCrae said at the press conference. Thompson loved listening to music and cooking, McCrae said.
When asked by a reporter what he thought when he saw the pictures of his brother’s body and the condition of his cell, McCrae said: “It was heartbreaking because nobody should be seen like that. Nobody should see that. But the first thing that came to mind was Emmett Till.”
The Office of Professional Standards’ internal investigation and an investigation being conducted by the Atlanta Police Department, the responding agency, are ongoing, the sheriff’s office said Monday. “Once these investigations are complete, the entire investigation package will be turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations for review,” the statement said.
“The final inquest report will not ease the family’s grief or bring their loved one back, but I hope and expect that it will provide a full, accurate and transparent account of the facts surrounding Mr Thompson’s death so that it provides all the answers that are needed.” they seek and earn,” Labat said in the statement.
