July 23 25, 2015 issue

Page 1

Communion wine for prison inmates? B3

Richmond Free Press © 2015 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 24 NO. 30

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

ee Fr

Fr ee

South Carolina shooter indicted A5

JULY 23-25, 2015

3 dead in 3 days City inmate deaths raise questions about medical care By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The deaths of three inmates with health problems are once again raising questions about the quality of medical services at Richmond’s jail. All three men suffered health emergencies last week and succumbed, according to the office of veteran Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. The office identified the inmates as Shawn Samuel Jr., 22, Zachary E. Tuggle, 29, and Javon A. Morris, 38 — the first inmates to die in the year-old Richmond City Justice Center in Shockoe Valley. Mr. Morris, who had a heart condition, was under medical care in the jail while the other two died in their cells from as yet unexplained causes. However, it is now known that Mr. Samuel was diabetic and Mr. Tuggle had epilepsy. Questions hover about whether they were receiving appropriate treatment and medication.

In a statement released Tuesday, Sheriff Woody characterized their deaths as a “private, tragic situation for the families involved, and we mourn with them.” Sheriff Woody Richmond has long had more inmate deaths from medical conditions than any other jail in the area, in part because those arrested often come in with untreated conditions. Since Sheriff Woody took charge of jail operations in 2006, an average of six inmates have died each year of medical conditions among the thousands of people housed annually at the jail. That’s about two to six times the average for other jails in nearby localities. About 1,000 inmates a day are

housed at the jail. The sheriff has defended the standard medical care provided at the jail, calling it better than that received by many of the inmates before incarceration. However, the death rate at the jail was expected to fall sharply after the new Justice Center opened with a state-of-the art medical tier that was developed to upgrade care and reduce the flow of inmates needing hospital treatment. On the city’s website, Sheriff Woody boasts about the medical services that can be provided in the new jail that replaced a crumbling, outdated and overcrowded facility. He notes that the new medical tier has 18 specialty beds and is “designed to provide maximum, onsite care” for the inmates he calls “residents.” Services offered at the Justice Center include X-rays and dialysis. There

Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

Bojangles’ customer James “J.J.” Minor feels insulted by a manager’s remark made when he returned fast food chicken box filled with cash.

Drive-thru order comes with $4,500 By Jeremy M. Lazarus

The surprising story of Richmonder James “J.J.” Minor and the Bojangles’ fried chicken chain now is circulating everywhere the English language is read, thanks to the Internet and social media. The story began simply enough: Mr. Minor was a customer who wasn’t pleased when the chicken he ordered at a Bojangles’ drive-through window turned out to be cold. So he asked the drive-thru attendant at the chain’s outlet at Laburnum Avenue and Nine Mile Road to replace his order with hotter food. He got a shock when he received a box a few minutes later. Instead of piping hot chicken, he found “a bunch of cash and SunTrust Please turn to A3

Please turn to A4

Family of woman found hanged in Texas jail calls for federal probe alma mater, Prairie View A&M University, and would not have taken her own life. However, they Was Sandra Bland murdered? acknowledged that she had posted That’s what distraught family a video blog several months ago and friends of the 28-year-old saying she was struggling with woman are asking after she was depression. discovered hanging by a plastic Her family and other advocates garbage bag in a Texas jail cell have called for U.S. Attorney three days after she was arrested General Loretta Lynch and the during a routine traffic stop that U.S. Justice Department to launch turned confrontational. a federal probe. The coroner’s office quickly The Texas Rangers and the ruled Ms. Bland’s July 13 death FBI are jointly investigating her a suicide. However, in a stunning death. An independent autopsy development late Wednesday, the Ms. Bland has been ordered. Texas district attorney’s office said The case has gained national attention, with questions the autopsy was defective and a second one is needed. Ms. Bland’s family said she moved to Texas from swirling about possible tampering with the dashcam video Chicago and was excited about starting a new job at her retrieved from the arresting Texas trooper’s car and the alleged racist history of the sheriff in charge of the Waller County Jail. At a news conference Monday, Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said there were “too many questions” to determine how she died and that “this is being treated like a murder investigation.” On Monday, authorities released a three-hour video taken from outside Ms. Bland’s jail cell. The video shows a period of about 90 minutes with no activity in the hallway leading to her cell. The video does not show the inside of her cell or even her cell door. It then shows a deputy reacting to what she sees while looking in the cell, triggering a frenzy of activity.

Bagby handily wins 74th House District seat

Free Press wire reports

By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Lamont Bagby just jumped from the Henrico School Board into the General Assembly. The 38-year-old Democrat was sworn in this week to the House of Delegates after winning a smashing victory over challenger David M. Lambert, an independent candidate, Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press in Tuesday’s special election for the Lamont Bagby enjoys a triumphant 74th House District seat. moment after being declared The newest member of the Virthe winner of Tuesday’s special ginia Legislative Black Caucus, Mr. election for the 74th District seat Bagby was the clear choice of the in the House of Delegates. nearly 2,600 voters who turned out for the rare summer election to fill the seat Joseph D. Morrissey vacated in the spring to run for a state Senate seat. Mr. Bagby received 2,192 votes, or 85 percent of those cast in the district that includes much of Eastern Henrico County, all of Charles City County and one precinct in Richmond. He won in all three localities, overwhelming Mr. Lambert, who received only 398 votes. Mr. Lambert is the son of late former state Sen. Benjamin J. Lambert III. He is expected to face off again with Mr. Bagby in the Nov. 4 general election for the right to fill the seat for a full two-year term. Tuesday’s result shows Mr. Lambert is a long shot at best. Republican House Speaker William J. Howell, who wanted Mr. Morris-

Please turn to A4

Please turn to A4

Black vendors hoping for bigger score at NFL camp By Joey Matthews

One giant leap All eyes are on 3-year-old Gabrielle Ba as she sails through the air and down a slide. She and her playmates were having fun Saturday at the 2nd Annual Brookland Park Boulevard History Festival on North Side. The free community event attracted hundreds of people and included entertainment, a farmer’s market, health screenings and lots of food and fun. Please see additional photos on B1. Sandra Sellars/Richmond Free Press

The owners of Big Herm’s Kitchen and Croaker’s Spot — two popular local black-owned eateries — hope fans will bring a hardier appetite to the Washington professional football team’s training camp than they did to last year’s. Herman Baskerville, owner of Big Herm’s Kitchen, and Neverett Eggleston Jr., owner of Croaker’s Spot, have their fingers crossed that new camp hours will entice more fans to buy their tasty chicken and fish platters.

The camp is scheduled to open Thursday, July 30, and conclude Sunday, Aug. 16, at the Bon Secours-sponsored facility on West Leigh Street behind the Science Museum of Virginia. Mr. Baskerville and Mr. Eggleston both reported lackluster sales to the Free Press during last year’s camp that attracted about 165,000 fans over 17 days. They complained that early-morning and late-afternoon camp hours hurt their businesses. Practices began about 8:30 most mornings last year, as the D.C. team

tried to avoid the scathing heat, and ended well before the lunch hour. The players did not return to training until after 4 p.m. and the workouts ended before the dinner hour. At this year’s camp, the time between daily sessions has been sliced, with the D.C. team holding walk-through sessions at 10:45 a.m. and returning for practices at 3 p.m. “I hope people will hang around between the two sessions, mingle and buy more Please turn to A3


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.