Three Leon County Jail inmates hanged themselves in the last year. Two occurred the same week

Three people incarcerated at the Leon County Detention Facility hanged themselves in the last year — with two of the deaths happening only 48 hours apart.

It was the first time in 27 years that three suicides occurred in less than a year, according to a record of inmate deaths obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat through public records requests.

Since 1995, there have been 16 suicides — all by hanging — in the Leon County Jail, which is overseen by the Leon County Sheriff's Office. The last time two suicides happened in one year at the jail was 2009.

The latest spate of suicides prompts questions about local jail policy and support systems for people who are homeless or suffering from mental illnesses, which has become a frequent topic among local officials.

Two of the men who killed themselves in the last 12 months were homeless. One had a well documented battle with mental illness. Local law enforcement arrested all three men on relatively small crimes like burglary, criminal mischief and a failure to pay court fees.

LCSO is also investigating each of the suicides — a decision criticized by a correctional policy expert. In addition, the jail has hired at least 10 people to bring more focus to mental health issues since in the last few months, a Sheriff's Office spokesperson said.

Michele Deitch, a senior lecturer at the University of Texas Austin (UTA) whose research focuses on corrections reform and prison and jail conditions, told the Democrat that suicide is "a preventable form of death inside jails."

"There's no more fundamental responsibility that jail officials have than keeping the people in their custody safe and alive," Deitch said. "Any death in custody is a failure, and it needs to be investigated, not as something inevitable, but as an indication that things went wrong."

Three arrests, three suicides

Milton Yates, 35, has been arrested at least four times by local law enforcement for trespassing since 2014.

In November 2021, Tallahassee police arrested him twice.

The first occurred at Mike's Beer Barn when a worker called police about a man refusing to leave. Officers arrived attempted to handcuff Yates, who pulled his arms away. They eventually booked him on trespassing and resisting without violence charges.

He pleaded not guilty and bonded out on Nov. 17 on the conditions that he would "abstain from alcohol," "refrain from any further criminal activity" and not return to the beer barn.

On Nov. 26, TPD officers investigating ATV and motorcycle burglaries at a motorsports shop on Capital Circle Northeast saw Yates walking in the nearby area. They handcuffed him. Probable cause "could not be established," so they instead booked him on a "failure to appear" warrant in a separate case, an arrest affidavit said.

Yates, who was homeless, wrote in a pretrial interview that he suffered from depression and had previously taken medication to treat it, court records said.

Less than a week later, correctional officers found him unresponsive in his jail cell. Despite life-saving measures, doctors pronounced Yates dead from hanging.

Mark Suber, the owner of Black Fig catering, hired Yates in early 2021 as a dishwasher. He described him as a hard worker, who would disappear for days at a time.

"I kept him after [he disappeared] two or three times because I liked him and thought he did a good job," Suber told the Democrat. "He was a great guy."

John McLendon, 38-year-old from Bainbridge, Georgia, was arrested in Jackson County in July 2019 on multiple charges including DUI, resisting arrest and battery of an officer. After failing a field sobriety test, McLendon allegedly kicked a Jackson County Sheriff's Office deputy, records said.

He was adjudicated guilty of resisting arrest without violence and battery in March 2021. In December, he was ordered to pay $623.50 in court costs by Feb. 12.

McLendon, who made $2,000 a month, didn't make any payments and a warrant was soon issued for his arrest, court records said.

An LCSO deputy spotted him on Capital Circle Southwest on March 5 and booked him. McLendon hanged himself four days later and was pronounced dead at a hospital on March 16. He is the father of two children.

"As an avid outdoorsman, you could find John somewhere near water," read his obituary. "John had a big heart streaked with a tad bit of stubbornness. He gave his best effort to love others and help out when he saw a need."

James Reed 54, was a homeless man who had previous stints in different mental health facilities around the state.

LCSO deputies arrested him on charges of burglary and criminal mischief without bail on Jan. 7.

About six weeks later, correctional deputies found him "unresponsive" in his cell — the result of a "suicide/hanging," court records said.

Reed died in a Tallahassee hospital two days after McLendon hanged himself.

"Unfortunate and tragic as they are, suicides and natural deaths do occur within the Detention Facility, as well as within our community," said LCSO spokesperson Angela Green in an emailed statement to the Democrat.

James Reed sat in jail for two months despite long history of mental health issues

As a teenager, James Reed spent time as a student at Dozier School for Boys, a state-run juvenile detention facility in Marianna that closed after a federal investigation  confirmed allegations of more than 500 former students of brutal beatings, mental abuse and rapes.

Reed bounced in and out of mental health facilities including Florida State Hospital and the Apalachee Center since at least the 1980s, said a family member who asked to remain anonymous.

In 2001, he was found not guilty of a burglary charge for reasons of insanity and he was subsequently committed to the North Florida Treatment Center in Gainesville. In 2017, he was found not guilty of parole violation for what the defense council described as "a major mental illness" and sent for treatment at the Apalachee Center, court records said.

The incident that led to his final arrest occurred on Jan. 7 at the Silver Lake Meat Market, off Blountstown Highway, where an employee called LCSO because Reed prevented him from closing, an arrest affidavit said.

Allegedly swinging a chain at the responding LCSO deputy, Reed yelled repeatedly and eventually pulled a gate behind the market off its hinges.

"I could tell Reed was in the middle of a severe mental breakdown," the deputy wrote, later adding that he never felt Reed was being intentionally violent. "It seemed as if Reed had no control over his emotions and is in serious need of mental help."

Soon another deputy arrived and became the primary investigator. He interviewed Reed's mother, who confirmed he has "severe mental illnesses." She said she had not seen him in days.

Back at the scene, the owner of the fence said he wished to press charges and Reed was taken to jail.

The first deputy at the scene wrote: "[I] recommended a mental health evaluation before Reed be allowed to be released into the general public," an affidavit said.

After several days in his cell, a local psychologist evaluated Reed's mental health.

The goal of a mental health evaluation is to determine if a detainee is competent enough to move forward with legal proceedings like hearings, a trial or sentencing. The Second Judicial Circuit of Florida received a completed screening sometime before Feb. 6, according to court records.

A hearing in which the judge would decide whether Reed was fit for trial based on the psychological screening was set for Feb. 15. It was, however, delayed until March 1 because of what was only described as an issue with his "behavior," court records read.

On March 1, he could not be transported to the court for the same reason. The hearing was eventually delayed until April 14. It remains unclear why exactly the hearing — which could have resulted in Reed being sent to a mental health facility — was delayed twice.

On March 3, he was brought to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare after being found unresponsive in his cell from what correctional officers identified as a hanging.

Less than 10 days later, doctors removed Reed's ventilator with permission from his mother. He died on Friday, March 11.

Official procedure says cells must be checked every hour

At the time of his death, Reed was alone in administrative confinement, which is for "inmates who require special housing to ensure their safety, the safety and security of the facility or the safety of other inmates," LCSO standard protocol said.

Detainees under such confinement are to be checked by medical staff at intervals not exceeding 72 hours.

"While he was in administrative confinement, the observation checks are done every 30 minutes," Green added.

Yates was alone inside a pod that is designated for new inmates before they are placed among the general jail population.

McLendon was in the general population and had a roommate.

Generally, all inmates are supposed to be visually checked every hour between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office Standard Operating Procedure. Outside of those hours, detainees should be visually checked periodically.

Green also said "Pod checks are conducted at least every hour."

Each of the jails eight housing pods — areas holding between 30 to 90 detainees — should have at "least one certified correctional officer present at all times to provide direct supervision of inmates," according to jail policy.

Additionally, the jail must maintain sufficient staff "so that at all times inmates are within hearing distance of officers," records read.

During the admission process, detainees receive a medical screening by a health care professional that includes a visual observation and completion of a medical screening form, according to jail guidelines.

Included on the screening form are "behavioral conditions and mental state, to include past and/or current suicidal tendencies."

During their stay, inmates receive mental health services if they request them or if a family member notifies the detention facility of any concerns, Green said. She added that facility staff can also make recommendations for mental health treatment.

Deitch, the corrections reform researcher said there should be regular metal health checks for all inmates.

"People can become suicidal at various points in their stay," she said. "Jail staff need to be trained to identify when people are showing signs that they may be suicidal and when there may be triggers that could lead them to become suicidal."

When asked for LCSO's response to the spate of suicides, spokesperson Angela Green said the Leon County Detention Facility is "committed to continuous evaluation and implementation of enhancements to the care provided to detainees."

At the beginning of the year, LCSO began negotiations with its existing medical provider, YesCare, to bolster its psychiatric and behavioral health services at the detention facility, she said.

As part of the negotiations, a new Behavioral Health Unit was created and went into effect on the first of October.

The unit includes at least 10 employees, both full-time and part-time, and now ensures that mental health personnel are on site seven days a week. Previously they only worked weekdays.

Including the two suicides, four incarcerated people have died this year in the jail

Other than the suicides of McLendon and Reed, two Leon County detainees died in October, prompting multiple death investigations, according to LCSO.

"Both of those deaths are still under investigation and LCSO is awaiting the Medical Examiner's reports," LCSO's Green told the Democrat. "However, the preliminary investigation does not indicate suicide."

On Oct. 24, a 39-year-old male inmate — who has not been identified by LCSO — was taken to the hospital "after being seen by the medical services provider at the Leon County Detention Facility," according to a news alert.

Around 6 a.m., the inmate died at the hospital.

Exactly two weeks prior, LCSO began a death investigation after Christopher James, 45, was found "unresponsive" in his cell by a corrections officer during a routine cell check.

Soon after being admitted to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.

Civil trial involving 2019 jail suicide set for January

A previous suicide sparked a high-profile lawsuit and led to a settlement with the sheriff's office.

In April 2019, the parents of Jennifer "Casey" Norred filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the Leon County Sheriff’s Office claiming the agency’s negligence resulted in the 36-year-old’s July 2017 suicide in her jail cell.

The complaint alleges Norred, who suffered from several serious mental illnesses, did not receive adequate care and her death was the direct result of deliberate indifference to the risk of suicide.

In August, the wrongful death case against the Sheriff's Office was settled, though the amount does not appear in court records. Florida law places a $200,000 cap on settlements for a single survivor in wrongful death claims.

'The system failed her': A Tallahassee Democrat report:

• Haunted by demons, Casey Norred's life ended in Leon County jail

• FDLE report: Inmate Jennifer Norred attempted suicide 3 days before taking her own life

• Parents of woman who killed herself at the Leon County jail file wrongful death lawsuit

Norred's attorneys are also suing the jail's former mental health counselor. The case will go to trial on Jan. 23.

"While we resolved Casey's claims against the sheriff, there is absolutely no resolution for the grief of Casey's family and friends," said a statement from Tallahassee Attorney James Slater on behalf of the Norred family. "Even though Casey will never be reunited with her family, they are looking forward to bringing justice to Casey's memory."

Expert says outside agency should be investigating deaths

All three death investigations were initiated by the LCSO Violent Crimes Unit and are still under investigation, as standard protocol, said spokesperson Green.

Deitch found it troubling that the Sheriff's Office, not an outside agency like the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, is heading these inquiries.

"Agencies should not investigate deaths that could reflect on their own behavior or failure to comply with internal policies," said Deitch, who also serves as director of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UTA.

"An agency just simply can't legitimately investigate itself and expect that the public is going to have confidence in that determination."

Deitch noted that local jails are often filled with people with mental illnesses because most of the people awaiting trial are there because they can't afford bail.

Both Yates and Reed were homeless at the time of their arrest and both were held without bail, according to court records. McLendon, did not pay his court fees.

"Jails have become repositories for people with mental illnesses," Deitch said. "And jail is about the worst place in the world for someone like that."

Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Spate of suicides at Leon County Detention Facility raise questions