Post by Oops on Aug 23, 2009 14:34:42 GMT -5
Hearing Monday for deputy who failed to get care for inmate who died
GREENFIELD, Ind. — A public hearing Monday will determine the future of a veteran deputy accused of failing to seek medical care for an inmate who died at the Hancock County Jail.
The merit board meets at 5 p.m. in Superior Court 2 at the Hancock County Courthouse to discuss Bridget D. Foy’s case.
Foy, who has been with the county 14 years, was the supervising officer Feb. 16 when deputies arrested Brian Bales, 36, New Palestine, on suspicion of impaired driving. Two days later, Bales died at the jail of what an autopsy determined was gastrointestinal bleeding.
Sheriff Bud Gray has recommended Foy be fired because he contends she falsely told jail staff that Bales had been checked out by medical staff. Bales, who was a diabetic and had other medical conditions, had provided blood at Hancock Regional Hospital for a drug test but had not been checked out by a doctor, Gray has said.
Foy has been on paid administrative leave for 26 weeks while several other planned hearings wound up cancelled when witnesses had illnesses and scheduling conflicts.
In an e-mail Aug. 11, Foy expressed eagerness for closure to her situation, saying her six-month-long suspension must be “a record” and adding that such a distinction was “not anything I wanted to be known for.”
On Feb. 20, Gray fired a jail nurse for failing to consult with a doctor about Bales’ condition. The nurse consulted with the inmate’s father, who told the nurse his son had exhibited similar symptoms in the past when going through withdrawal from substance abuse, but Gray said that was not sufficient.
A jail supervisor later resigned amid reports that jail staff had not performed adequate numbers of checks of inmates in the hours preceding Bales’ death.
Sheriff's deputies pulled over Bales’ vehicle Feb. 16 after another motorist had dialed 911 to report erratic driving.
The New Palestine man had a history of alcohol abuse, but Gray said he passed a breathalyzer test before he was taken to jail. At that point, deputies suspected other drugs.
“Based on vital signs that were taken, a doctor should have been called,” Gray said in February. “We have a doctor on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we pay for that service. That’s why we have him, for situations like this one. (The jail nurse) should have contacted the doctor on call, and that didn’t happen.”
Monday’s merit board hearing is open to the public.
GREENFIELD, Ind. — A public hearing Monday will determine the future of a veteran deputy accused of failing to seek medical care for an inmate who died at the Hancock County Jail.
The merit board meets at 5 p.m. in Superior Court 2 at the Hancock County Courthouse to discuss Bridget D. Foy’s case.
Foy, who has been with the county 14 years, was the supervising officer Feb. 16 when deputies arrested Brian Bales, 36, New Palestine, on suspicion of impaired driving. Two days later, Bales died at the jail of what an autopsy determined was gastrointestinal bleeding.
Sheriff Bud Gray has recommended Foy be fired because he contends she falsely told jail staff that Bales had been checked out by medical staff. Bales, who was a diabetic and had other medical conditions, had provided blood at Hancock Regional Hospital for a drug test but had not been checked out by a doctor, Gray has said.
Foy has been on paid administrative leave for 26 weeks while several other planned hearings wound up cancelled when witnesses had illnesses and scheduling conflicts.
In an e-mail Aug. 11, Foy expressed eagerness for closure to her situation, saying her six-month-long suspension must be “a record” and adding that such a distinction was “not anything I wanted to be known for.”
On Feb. 20, Gray fired a jail nurse for failing to consult with a doctor about Bales’ condition. The nurse consulted with the inmate’s father, who told the nurse his son had exhibited similar symptoms in the past when going through withdrawal from substance abuse, but Gray said that was not sufficient.
A jail supervisor later resigned amid reports that jail staff had not performed adequate numbers of checks of inmates in the hours preceding Bales’ death.
Sheriff's deputies pulled over Bales’ vehicle Feb. 16 after another motorist had dialed 911 to report erratic driving.
The New Palestine man had a history of alcohol abuse, but Gray said he passed a breathalyzer test before he was taken to jail. At that point, deputies suspected other drugs.
“Based on vital signs that were taken, a doctor should have been called,” Gray said in February. “We have a doctor on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we pay for that service. That’s why we have him, for situations like this one. (The jail nurse) should have contacted the doctor on call, and that didn’t happen.”
Monday’s merit board hearing is open to the public.