MILWAUKEE -- An inquest jury on Monday recommended criminal charges against seven Milwaukee County jail staff members in the dehydration death of an inmate who went without water for seven days.
The panel's recommendation came after a six-day inquest that included testimony from jail staff and evidence from county prosecutors. The inquest jury found probable cause for "abuse of a resident of a penal facility" in the death of 38-year-old Terrill Thomas on April 24, 2016.
Its members recommended charges against two jail supervisors, Nancy Evans and Kashka Meadors, and five officers: James Ramsey-Guy, JorDon Johnson, Thomas Laine, Dominique Smith and John Weber.
It's up to prosecutors whether to file charges. Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said he had no timeline for deciding.
The six-person inquest jury returned its recommendation just a few hours after morning testimony that the sheriff's office continued using water deprivation as a form of punishment even after Thomas' death. Prosecutors presented jurors with jail logs documenting two cases in which disobeying inmates had water to their cells turned off -- both within a month of Thomas dying. One of the cases happened a week after Thomas' death, and in both subsequent instances it wasn't clear when the water was turned back on.
"This isn't the first time this happened. This is a pattern," Assistant District Attorney Kurt Bentley said.
The jail is overseen by Sheriff David Clarke, but the inquest did not target him. Clarke, who has been frequently mentioned as a possible appointee in President Donald Trump's administration, has declined to comment on Thomas' death but did issue a statement in March noting Thomas' criminal background.
Clarke said in a statement posted to the sheriff's office Facebook page that he respects the legal process but would not comment further.
"There will be no speculation of what will happen until it happens," the statement said.
Thomas' death was one of four at the jail last year but the only one where charges are being considered.
Gov. Scott Walker last week rejected an immigrant-rights group's request to remove Clarke from office, saying he found reports of Thomas' death concerning but that the sheriff's fate is up to voters.
Chisholm said he thought jurors were swayed by evidence that showed jail policies weren't followed and that Thomas had been left in poor conditions.
"I think it's just the clear lack of oversight over this entire process that really troubled them more than anything else," he said.
A Section on 05/02/2017