Article author:
Associated Press
Lucedale, Mississippi (AP) — The Mississippi county has agreed to a $ 2.75 million settlement in a federal lawsuit for the illegal death of an insulin-dependent prisoner in a county prison.
William Joel Dixon, 28, died in a cell at the George County Regional Correctional Facility on September 24, 2014, after spending seven days without insulin. Carmon Sou Blancnan, 58, a former nurse in George County Prison, has been sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter due to Dixon's death.
"Simply put, this problem is meaningless and tragic for the lack of basic human compassion and policy that people who want to help Joel can't help Joel. It arose from the combination, "said a lawyer representing the inmate's property.
Dixon died, even though the prison had insulin on hand to treat him. His mother delivered one batch of insulin to prison, and a George County prison officer took another batch from Dixon's car glove box at the time of his arrest on September 17, 2014. During his stay in prison, Dixon repeatedly begged for help as his condition deteriorated. Brannan ignored those petitions and blamed the symptoms of methamphetamine withdrawal.
Wrongful death lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Dixon's property. His mother, Donna Dixon. His children against the city of Lucedale, George County, Brannan. The judge later dismissed Ruthdale as a defendant.
The settlement is more than half of the county's general budget of $ 4.3 million, Sun Herald reported. George County inspectors passed a resolution on Monday agreeing to the settlement amount. The county insurance company has agreed to pay more than $ 500,000 in legal fees and a total settlement of $ 250,000.
Judge Sul Ozerden of the US District Court ordered the county to pay $ 1 million within 14 days of the May 31 ruling in Gulfport's federal court. .. The remaining $ 1.75 million should be paid within 90 days of the settlement date, Ozerden's order states. The
decision also requires George County authorities to write an apology letter to Dixon's family.
"The Dixon family has endured eight years of tragic criminal and civil proceedings and unfounded claims against Joel's mother," said Wetzell. "Overall, the Dixon family acted with dignity despite their loss and gathered around Joel's children."
Wetzel said the county's agreement was "this sad ordeal." Closing the chapter. "
The Dixon family thanked the public for their interest in the incident, saying, "May Joel's children move forward in their lives like any other youth. I asked for privacy. The
family also thanked the team of lawyers and former district attorney Tony Lawrence and assistant district attorney Sherry Wade for successfully prosecuting a criminal proceeding against Brannan.
Wetzel said the ruling wanted families to motivate officials across the country to ensure that prisoners had adequate medical care.
"Their ardent hope is that Joel's death tragedy will lead to meaningful changes to prevent these preventable and unnecessary loss of life," he said. ..
