3 Milwaukee Jail Officers Charged in Dehydration Death

CHICAGO — A Wisconsin jail commander repeatedly lied after her officers cut off water to an inmate who later died of dehydration, prosecutors said Monday as they described a series of lethal missteps and a two-year investigation.

The commander, Maj. Nancy Evans, was one of three Milwaukee County jail officials charged with a felony in connection with the 2016 death of the inmate, Terrill Thomas, who had no access to water for seven days before he died.

“When police make an arrest and they bring somebody into our custody,” said District Attorney John T. Chisholm of Milwaukee County, who announced the charges, there is a “fundamental obligation” to “make sure they are kept safe.”

Evans, who could face more than four years in prison, was accused by prosecutors of “withholding information from her superiors, lying to her superiors, failing to preserve evidence, repeatedly lying to law enforcement investigators and lying at the inquest” last year where jurors recommended criminal charges against seven jail employees.

The announcement Monday of charges against Evans and two others — Lt. Kashka Meadors and James Ramsey-Guy, a correctional officer — came more than nine months after that inquest, a relatively rare court proceeding in which jurors review evidence relating to a death and decide whether to recommend charges. The four other jail employees who were faulted by jurors at the inquest are not expected to face charges, Chisholm said, but the investigation was continuing.

Thomas was arrested in April 2016 and accused of shooting a man and later firing a gun inside a hotel and casino, according to local news reports. A federal lawsuit filed by Thomas’ estate said he had bipolar disorder and had been prescribed medication by a psychiatrist.

Once he was at the jail in downtown Milwaukee, prosecutors said, Thomas flooded his cell by stuffing his mattress cover into the toilet. The charging documents said that when Thomas was moved to another cell, Meadors told Ramsey-Guy to turn off the water supply to that cell. For the next week, Thomas did not leave his cell, and was not given any water.

“He was literally punished for the manifestations of his mental illness,” said Erik Heipt, a lawyer for Thomas’ estate who has filed a federal lawsuit against Milwaukee County and jail officials. “He was not in his right mind. You don’t take someone like that and then punish them by turning off their water.”

After Thomas’ death, prosecutors said, Evans had a guard watch a week’s worth of security video footage of Thomas’ cell, which showed that the water had never been turned back on. Prosecutors said she did not take steps to preserve that video, and it was eventually recorded over and deleted.

Evans was charged with obstructing an officer, a misdemeanor, and misconduct in office, a felony. Ramsey-Guy and Meadors were each charged with felony neglect of a resident of a penal facility, which can carry more than three years in prison.

Court records did not list lawyers for Evans or Ramsey-Guy as of Monday afternoon. Both defendants — as well as Meadors — were suspended with pay Monday by Richard Schmidt, the acting sheriff of Milwaukee County.

Ben Van Severen, a lawyer for Meadors, said his client had worked at the jail for more than 17 years and intended to plead not guilty.

“We were very surprised to see the charges,” said Van Severen, adding that “we would just caution against a rush to judgment.”

Schmidt said Monday that he was “very confident” the jail had been “transformed” by new leaders since he succeeded David A. Clarke Jr. as sheriff last year. Clarke’s tough-on-crime approach was lauded by President Donald Trump and other conservatives. But he also faced accusations of leading a troubled department and a dangerous jail. Four inmates died at the Milwaukee County Jail in 2016, and a Wisconsin congresswoman called for a federal investigation of the facility.

Asked Monday whether Clarke, who was not charged, had been investigated in connection with Thomas’ death, Chisholm said he believed his office had charged the people who were most culpable.

Schmidt said the accusations against his employees were “horrific” and that “my heart bleeds” for Thomas’ family.

Schmidt said a decision on departmental discipline for the officers could be made as soon as Friday. “This is serious stuff,” he said. “I care.”