Healthcare provider in Sebastian County jail death lawsuit under scrutiny in other states
The healthcare provider for the Sebastian County jail, where Larry Price Jr., 50, died in a malnourished state of health in 2021 is the same health provider in Oklahoma jails where neglect of inmates has been alleged.
Turn Key Health Clinics LLC. is named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed against Sebastian County in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
A jury trial date has been set for Jan. 8 before Judge P.K. Holmes III.
Price Jr. died in the Sebastian County jail in August 2021. He was arrested in 2020 after pointing his fingers like a gun in the police station lobby, according to police. He could not make bail and his weight dropped. The family alleges he was not provided mental health care.
Turn Key is the current health provider for the Sebastian County Detention Center.
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, more than 100 Oklahomans are languishing in county jails while awaiting court-ordered mental health treatment, according to a federal class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma against two state mental health officials, according to a report by Oklahoma Watch.
Turn Key was named as a defendant in a 2020 case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma by the estate of Caleb Lee, 25, who died in the Tulsa County jail in 2017.
Courts found the four plaintiffs described in the lawsuit incompetent to stand trial and ordered their transfer to the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita, where they were to receive mental health treatment before their criminal cases could proceed. The lawsuit alleges all remain in county jails “for prolonged periods that far exceed constitutional limits.”
A spokesman for Oklahoma City-based Turn Key provided a statement from a company official about inmates who are waiting for court dates. Turn Key attorneys have stated there is no evidence of neglect or wrongdoing on their part.
Danny Honeycutt, Turn Key chief administrative officer, "Turn Key's role leaves us without the ability or authority to shorten the wait for individuals seeking transport to a state facility for competency restoration, but we support and encourage efforts to shorten that wait, and we are committed to providing the best service for people while they are in our care."
DOJ oversight at jail
The Sebastian County jail has been under past federal oversight in the past by the U.S. Justice Department over allegations of civil rights violations.
Price Jr.'s family alleges he suffered from mental illness when he was denied care and waited a year for a court date without being able to make $100 bail.
Sebastian County Sheriff Hobe Runion stated the death remains under review, but there have been no findings of wrongdoing by staff.
Hank Balston, an attorney representing Price's family, said Price was malnourished when he died.
Price weighed about 180 pounds when he went to jail. Records show he weighed 120 pounds when he died.
The photos filed with the federal lawsuit showed the disturbing loss of weight.
More:Photos of inmate's body in Sebastian County jail included in federal lawsuit
According to Sebastian County Sheriff Hobe Runion, Price Jr. died of COVID-19. Runion released a statement after the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas in Fort Smith on Friday, Jan. 13.
More:Who was Larry Price Jr. ?
Price Jr. grew up in Fort Smith. Price Jr. went to school at Howard Elementary, Southside Elementary, Trusty Elementary, Darby Jr. High School, and Northside High School. Price Jr. always battled mental illness. He was in and out of board and care, mainly in Oklahoma cities such as Howe and Vinita, family members stated. He struggled with mental illness as an adult and had a number of run-ins with the law.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: The health provider in the Sebastian County jail death reviewed
