Terrill Thomas spent seven straight days slowly withering away in a solitary confinement cell with no running water after jail employees cut off his water supply in a jail run by Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, a prosecutor in Wisconsin said Monday.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that prosecutors told a six-person jury on Monday that cutting off water to Thomas’ cell was “highly irregular and contrary to standard operating procedure in the jail.” The comments came as part of an inquest into Thomas’ death, in which the jury decides whether there’s probable cause to charge anyone with a crime in Thomas’ death.
Thomas, 38, started the weeklong stretch at the Milwaukee County Jail belligerent and loud, the result of an untreated mental illness, prosecutors said. But as the days wore on, he grew weak and dehydrated.
(Photo: Family photo)
Assistant District Attorney Kurt Benkley told jurors that it “became apparent” that Thomas “was unable to tell people about his basic needs,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The jury is considering whether there is probable cause to charge any jail officials with abuse of a prisoner.
In a court filing last month, the district attorney argued that abusing, neglecting, or ill-treating a prisoner is a public welfare offense.
“Inmates are at the mercy of their jailors for basic life-sustaining necessities like water, food, and medical care,” the district attorney wrote in a court filing. “When a mentally ill inmate, like Mr. Thomas, is locked in solitary confinement without access to water, his life is totally in his jailors’ hands. The law much strictly require jailors to safeguard lives which are so completely entrusted to their care. Stupidity, thoughtlessness, indifference, and incompetence are not morally sufficient excuses nor valid legal defenses.”
Benkley said during his opening statement that three officers turned off Thomas’ water supply after he flooded another cell, but did not turn it back on or tell other officers about the lack of water. Thomas allegedly lost nearly 35 pounds as he weakened in the solitary cell, and prosecutors said his bi-polar disorder kept him from telling officers about his needs.
“This order to shut off Mr. Thomas’ water was highly irregular and contrary to standard operating procedure in the jail,” Benkley said, the Journal Sentinel reports.
It’s not evident how many people in the jail knew about the breach of operating procedure. During this inquest, the prosecutors will question people and delve into the circumstances of Thomas’ death before a jury, which will decide whether there is probable cause to file charges. The prosecutors can choose whether to follow the jury’s recommendation.
Sheriff Clarke, a high-profile supporter of President Donald Trump who makes frequent appearances on conservative news outlets, appears to take a hands-off approach to managing the jail he’s charged with running and has deflected blame for the deaths that occurred on his watch. The Justice Department had been considering launching a civil rights investigation into the conditions at the Milwaukee County Jail, but the status of that potential investigation is unclear.
Although it likely doesn’t factor into his death, Thomas was never once taken out of his solitary confinement cell during his seven days there, prosecutors also noted. Inmates are typically given one hour of recreation time per day.
