ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, November 19, 1996 TAG: 9611190106
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
Roanoke County-Salem Jail inmates say sheriff's deputies ignored the cries of a 49-year-old fellow inmate who asked for medical attention and later died of a stroke.
But the inmates' allegations were not part of an internal investigation by the Roanoke County Sheriff's Office that found no wrongdoing by deputies. Inmates say they did not mention their concerns because they feared retaliation.
Inmates found James Bryson of Salem lying at the entrance of his cell about 6:50 a.m. Wednesday. He was conscious but unable to speak. Deputies took him to the jail's medical unit, and he was transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he died at 2:15 p.m.
Sheriff Gerald Holt said Roanoke County Commonwealth's Attorney Skip Burkart reviewed the internal investigation and found no misconduct by sheriff's deputies or foul play involved in Bryson's death. Burkart was out of the office and could not be reached for comment.
But five inmates say deputies discounted Bryson's repeated pleas for help during the early morning hours Wednesday. Wesley Drake, Allen Hobbs, Michael Kidder, Timothy Spain and Daniel Tomforde say a deputy patrolling the unit initially acknowledged Bryson's request and asked him to fill out a slip for medical attention.
When Bryson said he was unable to fill out the form, the inmates say, the deputy said he would get a medic. But they say it was about an hour before a medic came to Bryson's aid.
Deputies routinely check inmates, who are locked in their cells during the night. Cell doors open about 6:30 a.m.
Maj. Michael Winston of the Sheriff's Office said no inmates told the deputy patrolling the unit last Wednesday that they were concerned about Bryson, or that Bryson had been moaning.
When interviewed by a reporter, some of the inmates were uncertain about the exact time they heard Bryson's moans for help. But Tomforde, whose cell was next to Bryson's, said he was awakened by Bryson's cries between 3:30 and 4 a.m. He said he immediately looked at the unit's wall clock when he got up from his bed.
"He was yelling, like agonizing yells. [Bryson] said he needed something for his stomach and that he couldn't feel his legs," Tomforde said.
Bryson told the deputy that he could not fill out the medical slip. The deputy responded that he would get a medic, but did not return until an hour later, Tomforde said.
The sheriff's deputies who conducted an internal investigation into Bryson's death said that the inmates were confused about the times they heard Bryson complain.
"No inmate said they got up and looked at the clock," said Cpl. Tim Flowers, who interviewed the inmates. "What woke them was the conversation" between Bryson and the sheriff's deputy.
Bryson first told a deputy that he needed medical help for an upset stomach and a headache about 5:45 a.m., according to the Sheriff's Office internal investigation.
About 6:20 a.m., Bryson told a medical officer he had been throwing up, according to the investigation, but deputies were unable to find any evidence of that. Bryson did not respond to a deputy's request to fill out a medical slip. Instead, he said he had a headache and turned over in his bed.
About 6:50 a.m., inmates found Bryson at the entrance of his cell. He apparently had hit his head and his right elbow when he fell to the floor, said Lt. Joe Cunningham, chief medical officer.
Once he was at the medical unit, Bryson's blood pressure began to rise, his pupils constricted and he started to lose consciousness. Bryson died that afternoon. According to an autopsy, Bryson suffered a stroke. Bryson had been in jail since Oct. 28 for an assault and battery conviction.
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB