Inmate files lawsuit alleging mistreatment
A former Coffee County Jail inmate has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Coffee County sheriff, officers, county commissioners, a health care company and a doctor over claims of dangerous conditions and lack of medical care.
John Keith Lawrence, a 39- year- old state prisoner who is now incarcerated at Tennessee’s Bledsoe County Correctional Complex, says he was denied medication for his mental illness and that he was beaten by other inmates who also were denied psychiatric medications, causing them to behave violently.
The suit, which alleges civil rights violations under the color of law, was filed Feb. 18 in U.S. District Court in Knoxville and names as defendants the Coffee County Sheriff ’ s Department, Sheriff Steve Graves, the county Board of Commissioners, Capts. Pam Freeman and Rick Gentry, Quality Correctional Health Care and Dr. Johnny Bates, records show. The defendants have not filed answers to the allegations.
Lawrence was being held last spring in Coffee County on violation of probation warrants. He now is serving a nine-year sentence in state prison on charges that include initiation of a process to result in the manufacture of methamphetamine, passing a forged instrument and three counts of criminal simulation related to a June 2015 sentence, according to officials in Franklin County where those convictions occurred.
In the lawsuit, Lawrence is seeking an injunction ordering the defendants to provide medication as prescribed, to institute a classification system for “security threat groups,” unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, and related medical costs in a suit. He is representing himself.
Coffee County Attorney Robert Huskey said Wednesday he found a record of Lawrence filing the complaint, but no Coffee County officials have seen the complaint or been formally served any paperwork.
Huskey said Lawrence had been involved in several fights and has a pending charge of attempted first-degree murder related to an alleged assault by him on another inmate while they were both in custody in a holding cell.
“From the documentation I’ve seen, it looks like he’s a problem prisoner from the word ‘go,’” Huskey said.
In the suit, Lawrence points first to an assault he says took place at the old Coffee County Jail on May 13, 2015, that left him with a “serious bodily injury” at the hands of another inmate he described as a Gangster Disciples member. He says the inmate had not been taking his prescribed “mental health medication” for “anger issues” and had multiple convictions for violent crimes.
The inmate, whom the suit states was bent on establishing his authority within the cell block, slammed Lawrence’s head into the cell bars in an attack that left him with two deep gashes in his forehead.
Lawrence was moved to the new jail east of town on May 17. He contends he was told there that he was taken off his mental health medication, Ser-aquel or Wellbutrin, because of the expense. Lawrence said he was told that was the policy for inmates at the jail.
Lawrence’s suit details other alleged assaults occurring on June 8, June 29, July 2 and a “mass fight” on July 4, all involving members of the same group.
Lawrence contends he filed numerous grievances he asserts generated no response from officials. Those named in the suit are described as being in positions of authority, health care management or policy enforcement, records show.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/Ben Benton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.