Families of two men who died in jail seek answers, help from Etowah County Commission

Family members of Will Shepherd and Drasean Payne sought assistance from the Etowah County Commission on Tuesday in finding answers to their deaths.

Commissioners in turn expressed condolences and promised to see what could be done.

Both men died in custody at the Etowah County Detention Center of suspected drug overdoses exactly one year apart — Shepherd on April 28 of this year, Payne on April 28, 2021.

The families’ appearance at the commission meeting followed a vigil outside the jail on May 1.

Payne’s grandmother, Doris Payne, said he had been found unresponsive nine days before his death. “My family has not gotten any answers as to what happened to him or the drugs over there,” she said. “I’m concerned about the drugs myself, as to how they were able to get into the jail and I want help in getting the answers we need.”

She also called the sheriff’s office “disrespectful,” saying no one called the family to express condolences about Drasean’s death even though “... he was in your custody when he died.”

Richard Letherwood, Shepherd’s uncle, said the family had been trying to get him into a rehab facility. “We know he deserved to be there for what he had done,” he said, “but we still want answers as to how we can keep this from happening again and as to what happened to him.”

He said the vigil was an attempt to bring awareness to the problems, and seek a solution.

VIGIL HELD: Families protest, question how inmates are getting drugs in Etowah County detention center

“I was in prison when I was younger for drugs. and I don’t understand how drugs are getting in our jails,” Letherwood said. “I’m not here to put anyone down. I just really want some answers and I don’t want my family to be in the same spot as Mrs. Payne and constantly waiting on those.”

Dr. Danetta McCurley, a nursing faculty member at Gadsden State Community College, told commissioners the jail could be held legally responsible for Shepherd’s death based on reports of delays in getting him help, that his cellmate allegedly banged on the wall for an hour before a correctional officer arrived.

State law assigns such responsibility in cases of extreme carelessness or intent to cause harm, and McCurley said, “Every minute that officer delayed was an action of extreme carelessness and neglect.”

McCurley presented statistics on mental health and substance abuse within jails to commissioners.

“According to the National Line on Mental Health Illness, two in five adults within the prison system report a history of mental illness, with 70% of those in juvenile corrections facilities reporting a history of mental illness,” she said. “One in eight visits to emergency medical services are related to mental health, and substance abuse and overdose deaths in county jails increased by 200% from 2001 to 2018, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.”

McCurley noted that Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday announced that the state would open mental health crisis centers in Dothan and Tuscaloosa, and asked the commission to look into bringing one to Gadsden.

“We desperately need the help,“ she said. “Although Probate Judge Scott Hassell has advocated for mental health with the creation of the Mobile Crisis Assistance Team, it is something that is still needed,” she said.

Hassell said the county has ”a ways to go” in caring for mental health issues, but the MCAT is a step in that direction. He introduced the newest hire to the team: Community Mental Health Officer Ricky Johnson.

“Anytime mental health and substance abuse enters our community, it hurts real people,” he said. “Mr. Johnson and his team will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to help keep people safe during their mental health crisis.”

McCurley asked about the X-ray machines installed at the county jail after it was featured on the show “60 Days In,” which Sheriff Jonathon Horton said were paid partially by the commission and partially through CARES Act funding.

“Everyone needs to be scanned every time they come into the jail, including the corrections officers, lawyers and anyone else who has access to prisoners,” she said. “The amount of radiation from that X-ray is the same as the amount found in a two-minute flight in an aircraft at 30,000 feet in the air, and there is no (limit) as to how many times a person can be scanned with that machine.”

Horton said the machines have been used to detect contraband, but aren’t foolproof. “They have made a significant reduction in what we deal with, but they can’t catch everything,” he said. “We can’t monitor every single person 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

He discussed structural issues at the jail and its location that makes securing it difficult, and the ingenuity of inmates in acquiring contraband from outside.

Harvey Martin, a member of Attalla Coalition, called on the commission to take action regarding the deaths and accompanying investigations.

“When you have police investigating police, there is only ever one outcome,” he said. “I would like to see a committee set up to see some action as to what is going on over there and what we can do to fix it.”

McCurley also suggested that correction officers be properly trained in administering Narcan, a medication used to negate a drug overdose in a patient. She said Etowah County deputies last received such training in 2016.

“We are with you and we wish we had an answer but we will be looking into this,” Commission President Johnny Grant said. “We’re sorry for your losses and I promise nothing we’ve said or done today will take away from what you have told us and your stories.”

Horton said he felt the losses at the jail “personally,” citing his personal experience as a funeral director having to bury people who have died within police custody.

“We’ve done a lot to try and help with our mental health crisis, but we’ve got a ways to go. There’s always things to be done and we have got to help people with mental health and substance abuse,” he said. “However, this all starts at home with teaching our young men and women to make the right decisions when it comes to drugs.”

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Etowah County Commission hears from families of men who died in jail