JASPER, Texas — The mother of a man who died while he was in a Jasper jail is suing the city and the federal civil trial is set to begin Monday.
Frances Earline Sims filed a federal lawsuit on March 30, 2020 against the City of Jasper following the death of her son Steven Mitchell Qualls. Qualls was 28 when he was found dead in his cell at the police department on January 30, 2019.
Frances Earline Sims is being represented by Thomas Dean Malone, Alexandra Payne, Brandie Moser, Jennifer Kingaard, Jordan Shannon, Kristen Homyk, and Michael Connor. All the attorneys work for the Law Offices of Dean Malone P.C. in Dallas.
The lawsuit lists the City of Jasper, Toderick Griffin, Sterling Linebuagh, Heather O’Dell and Joshua Hadnot as the defendants. All the defendants are being represented by William Helfand, Frank Calvert and Norman Ray Giles.
Helfand, Calvert and Giles work for Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP in Houston.
The lawsuit claims that Defendants violated Mitchell’s constitutional rights, according to a news release from the Law Offices of Dean Malone.
Court documents say that Mitchell was not provided any medical or mental health care once he was incarcerated in the Jasper jail.
He would open his mouth to speak, but would say no words. He hallucinated and couldn’t even stand up, according to attorneys.
Attorneys say Mitchell vomited twice during his second night at the jail, in which he vomited up a small bag that a police officer said was the type used to hold drugs.
The officer threw away the small bag and went on with his business, according to attorneys.
“Mitchell needed help, and it would have been apparent to anyone that he would not have appeared intoxicated for more than a few hours after arrest," Malone said in the news release. "When Mitchell began throwing up, even a baggie that likely contained drugs when ingested, it was even more obvious that he needed emergency medical treatment."
Qualls was found unresponsive in a detox cell on January 30, 2019, around 8:45 a.m. He was the only person in the cell when he was found, according to file stories.
Police booked Qualls into the jail after he was charged with public intoxication and had refused to leave Christus Jasper Memorial Hospital after being discharged on January 28, 2019.
When emergency personnel responded to the jail, they discovered that Qualls had no vital signs.
Qualls was pronounced deceased by Justice of the Peace Jimmy Miller.
An autopsy later determined Qualls' cause of death to be a methamphetamine overdose. The Jefferson County Medical Examiner's Office determined the death was accidental.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.
Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.
Also on 12NewsNow.com…
.
