Greene County Jail places 10 employees on leave after inmate's death
The Greene County Jail has placed 10 employees on paid leave following the recent death of an inmate, the Greene County Sheriff 's Office confirmed Wednesday.
Darrell Thorne, 54, died last week after the Greene County Sheriff 's Office said he appeared to be experiencing signs of a drug overdose as he was being booked into the detention facility on March 11. Thorne was reportedly being physically combative with detention officers as he was being processed for alleged trespassing, resulting in the alleged injury of a jail employee.
Thorne, who Springfield police said kicked out a patrol car's window en route to the jail, was determined by an on-site nurse to have overdosed, according to the sheriff 's office. GSCO said he was given Narcan as jail and medical staff performed life-saving measures before transporting Thorne to a local hospital, where he later died.
In its March 15 statement, which was sent after the News-Leader had inquired about a death at the jail, the sheriff 's office said it learned that from the medical examiner that Thorne had died. The sheriff 's office said it requested an autopsy and the Sheriff 's Critical Incident Team, comprised of investigators from Greene, Lawrence, Webster and Christian counties, is investigating the death.
"It's in our policy when staff is exposed to a critical incident, such as providing prolonged CPR after an overdose, they are placed on paid leave until the investigation is complete," GCSO told the News-Leader on Tuesday.
Thorne's death marked the fourth Greene County Jail-related fatality in four months. In January, the sheriff's office reported that inmate Michael Hill, 49, died after reportedly being found unresponsive in his cell. On Dec. 5, it was reported that inmate Jeffrey L. Gilmore, 44, died after an unspecified medical issue. On Nov. 12, inmate Austin Bond, 32, died after the sheriff 's office said he suffered a seizure and fell from his jail bunk.
Ryan Collingwood covers a wide range of topics for the News-Leader with an emphasis on public safety. He can be reached by phone at 417-258-8174 and email at rcollingwood@newsleader.com. You can also follow Ryan on social media at X.com/rwcollingwood.