Three staffers at the jail formerly run by Trump-loving Sheriff David Clarke have been charged for their role in the death of a prisoner who died from dehydration back in 2016.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Milwaukee County Sheriff's Major Nancy Evans and two other staffers at the Milwaukee County Jail are facing charges related to the death of 38-year-old Terrill Thomas, a prisoner who suffered from bipolar disorder and who died of dehydration nearly two years ago.
According to prosecutors, Thomas was kept in solitary confinement in the jail for seven days without water before he eventually died on April 24, 2016.
Court documents filed Monday showed that Evans has been charged with felony misconduct in office and obstructing an officer. Prosecutors in particular have singled Evans out for allegedly trying to obstruct the investigation into Thomas' death.
"Defendant Evans' course of conduct during the investigation into Mr. Thomas' death, of withholding information from her superiors, lying to her supervisors, failing to preserve evidence, repeatedly lying to law enforcement investigators and lying at the inquest, constituted misconduct in public office," the documents state.
David Clarke, a right-wing sheriff known for his advocacy of rough treatment of prisoners, resigned last year after a highly controversial tenure as Milwaukee County Sheriff. Among other things, Clarke has accused Black Lives Matter of being responsible for the murders of police officers, while also blaming riots in his home city of Milwaukee on the “questionable lifestyle choices” of black residents there.
In November 2016, a former inmate at the Milwaukee County Jail filed a lawsuit alleging that her baby died after guards there refused to give her help as she went into labor.