CNN
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Three jail officials in Fulton County, Ga., have resigned amid an investigation into the death of an inmate whose family says was housed in a filthy, insect-infested cell that “n “wasn’t worthy of a sick animal.”
The Fulton County Jail’s chief jailer and two deputy chief jailers submitted their resignations at the request of Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat during an executive staff meeting this weekend, a statement from the County Jail’s office said. sheriff without naming them.
“It is clear to me that it is time, more than ever, to clean up,” Labat said in Monday’s press release announcing “radical changes” at the establishment.
The resignations come as Lashawn Thompson’s family demands a criminal investigation 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 conditions in the prison and complications from insect bites. “The cell he was in was not fit for a sick animal. It’s inexcusable and deplorable,” the family’s attorney, Michael Harper, said at a news conference last week, while holding up photos purportedly showing the conditions of Thompson’s jail cell.
“The circumstances and cause of death have been classified as “undetermined” by the county medical examiner. A thorough investigation has been launched into the circumstances surrounding Mr. Thompson’s death,” the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday.
Due to health privacy regulations, the sheriff’s office could not share any information about Thompson’s medical condition when he was arrested, “or any decisions he made regarding their right to accept or refuse medical care,” the statement said.
Labat called 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 experience in corrections and law enforcement. When harnessed to its best advantage, this experience can be invaluable. However, it can also lend itself to complacency, stagnation and the status quo,” the statement said.
Additionally, the sheriff’s office is “examining all legal options to change medication providers and enter into a new contract with a provider who can effectively, consistently and compassionately provide the best level of care,” the release said.
On Friday, the sheriff’s office said “several immediate measures” had already been taken, including an emergency expenditure of $500,000 “to combat the infestation of bedbugs, lice and other vermin” in the prison. A process to transfer more than 600 inmates to other counties “in an effort to help alleviate overcrowding, at an average cost of approximately $40,000/day,” has also begun, the sheriff’s office said .
Thompson had been in jail for about three months before his death and was housed in the psychiatric wing because he suffered from mental health issues, said Harper, the family’s attorney. He was detained for minor assault.
The 35-year-old was born in Winter Haven, Fla., and has lived in Atlanta on and off in recent years, his brother, Brad McCrae, said at the news conference. Thompson loved listening to music and cooking, McCrae said.
When asked by a reporter what he thought when he saw the images of his brother’s body and the conditions in his cell, McCrae replied: “It was heartbreaking because no one should be seen like that.” No one should see this. But the first thing that came to mind was Emmett Till.
The Office of Professional Standards’ internal investigation and that by the responding Atlanta Police Department are ongoing, the sheriff’s office said Monday. “Once these investigations are completed, the entire investigation will be turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for review,” the release said.
“The final investigative report will not ease the family’s grief or bring back their loved one, but I hope and expect that it will provide a full, accurate and transparent account of the facts surrounding Mr. Thompson’s death to provide full details. the answers they seek and deserve,” Labat said in the statement.