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CLACKAMAS COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) — The Clackamas County Sheriff is speaking out against a controversial video that shows jail workers laughing while an arrested man overdoses in a jail cell.
Bryan Perry, the man seen in the video, later died. Now, the family of the military veteran is suing, saying jail workers violated his rights and were negligent in the hours leading up to his death.
Cell phone video captured the moments when Perry moaned in pain as he overdosed on Nov. 3, 2016. In the video, jail workers can be heard laughing and joking that Perry might make for a powerful anti-drug message in schools.
“You could just take him and put him in front of the class” one worker said.
“You could just wheel him in a cage and wheel him back out,” another said.
The video was taken after he was booked on an outstanding warrant at 7:15 p.m.
According to the lawsuit, a detective confirmed Perry started “tweaking” at the jail, and that was not how he was acting at the scene of his arrest.
The lawsuit states Perry was not able to control his bodily movements and deputies moved him into a padded cell instead of taking him to the hospital.
According to the lawsuit, a nurse with Corizon Health Inc., the company that provides medical care at the jail, “only visited Perry twice, spending a total of less than five minutes with him.”
Another nurse checked on Perry around 11:15 p.m. and found him unresponsive. Perry was taken to Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center where he was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest less than an hour later.
Perry’s lawyer said a woman jailed at the same time as Perry showed similar signs of overdose was hospitalized hours earlier and survived.
Among the family’s claims that Clackamas County and Corizon Health Inc.:
*Failed to provide prompt medical attention for Perry’s serious medical needs.
*Failed to conduct proper cell checks.
*Failed to ensure proper training in responding to inmates experiencing drug or alcohol overdose or withdrawal.
In the lawsuit, Perry’s family points out his impressive military record, including serving in Operation Iragi Freedom and receiving a Purple Heart.
Sheriff Craig Roberts is now speaking out about Perry’s death and urging kindness for all suffering from addiction. He released a statement on Thursday saying:
“The laughter, substance, and tone of several comments heard from my employees in that video were inappropriate, and do not conform to our professional standards.
My office has already taken action.
We conducted an internal investigation and took disciplinary action against the employees who still worked at the Sheriff’s Office. (The employee who filmed the video had resigned by the time of that investigation.)
Compassionate treatment of those suffering from addiction and/or mental health issues is a cornerstone of our agency. Every day, in our jail and on the streets, our deputies encounter the hazards associated with drug addiction, and we have launched numerous initiatives to counter them — including our Residential Treatment program, CIT training, Behavioral Health Unit partnership, and counseling at the Transition Center and elsewhere.”
The sheriff’s office said it can’t comment on the pending lawsuit.
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