Sheriff: Walker County inmate did not request medical care before death
Elderly man dies in jail a day after his arrest
Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson says an inmate didn’t ask to be taken to the hospital the night before his death.
Sixty-four-year-old Stephen Andrew Johnson of Rossville was arrested Sept. 3 for a temporary protective order violation (TPO), was taken to jail and booked.
“He indicated during the booking process that he had previously had COVID,” the sheriff said. “He was not positive on intake.”
About 5:19 a.m. Sept. 4 jail officers were alerted that Johnson was having difficulty breathing and administered first aid and CPR, Wilson said. The man died a short time later.
Johnson did not request medical care and was not transported to the hospital, he said.
Johnson’s body has been taken to the crime lab for an autopsy while the Walker County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating the death.
Pandemic precautions
The Walker County jail’s capacity is 240 inmates. On Sept. 8, its occupancy was 227.
Wilson said 91 Walker County jail inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 since December. Seventeen inmates were active cases Sept. 8 and were recovering from the virus.
“For practical purposes social distancing in a county jail setting is near impossible,”
he said. “We require inmates to wear face coverings, and they are provided with disinfectant cleaning supplies. We allow time outside in the recreation yard when possible.”
Wilson has implemented as many of the CDC guidelines in the jail as a secure facility can accommodate, he said.
The jail has a designated area for housing and treating inmates who test positive for the virus.
When possible, “we house negative tested inmates together, and we house positive tested inmates together,” he said. “We are routinely
disinfecting the detention facility with products to kill the virus. I spent $30,000 last October to install air purifiers throughout the facility.”
Jail staff try not to place inmates who have tested positive for COVID in the same dorms with inmates who tested negative or are asymptomatic; however, if beds are unavailable, staff
may be compelled to house inmates the best they can, he said.
The facility has a medical doctor, nurse practitioner and two licensed practical nurses.
The medical staff evaluates an inmate who is ill and asks to be taken to the hospital to determine if a hospital visit is warranted, he said.