Richland jail’s ‘lack of action’ led to man’s death, coroner says after homicide ruling
A “lack of action” by staff at Richland County’s jail led to the death of a man who was starving and not drinking, the coroner said Wednesday.
After The State reported that the February death of Lason Butler, 27, of Orangeburg, was ruled a homicide by Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford, she said that “but for (the jail staff’s) lack of action, he would be alive.”
Butler’s cause of death was “complications of acute dehydration,” according to an autopsy.
Rutherford also gave details about moments that culminated with Butler’s death.
Jail staff noted in reports that Butler was not eating or drinking, Rutherford said. So staffers knew he was unwell and likely to get dehydrated, but nobody working at the jail took steps to ensure Butler’s health. Jail staff essentially let Butler become so dehydrated that he died, according to Rutherford’s description.
“If someone is not eating or drinking, you monitor their intake” of food and water, said Rutherford, who is a nurse practitioner. If the jail didn’t have the staff to monitor Butler or didn’t have the capability to keep him nourished, the jail should have sent him to a medical facility where he could have gotten the care he needed, she said.
“But they chose not to do that,” Rutherford said. “I do expect as a nurse practitioner, as a caregiver (and) as a human that you would note if someone is starving themselves to death” and take action, she said.
Jail staff did not adhere to “standards of care,” she said.
Because jail staff knew Butler was not eating or drinking but took no action, she ruled his death a homicide, Rutherford said.
Rutherford said she wanted to be clear that her homicide ruling does not imply that a crime has been committed. The homicide ruling mean the “the actions or inaction” of someone or an entity caused the death.
It will be up to police and prosecutors to determine if criminal charges are filed. But a homicide ruling is a crucial step in filing criminal charges.
“We have been investigating his death since we were initially notified,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. “Once our investigation is complete it will be forwarded to the Solicitor’s Office. They will advise us if anyone should be criminally charged. The Coroner’s ruling on the death is part of our investigation.”
Staff at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center found Butler dead in his isolated cell on Feb. 12. He had been jailed since Jan. 31 on three misdemeanor charges after he was pulled over by a Richland County deputy.
“The actions and lack of action of the staff and medical providers at the jail killed Lason Butler,” said Bakari Sellers, an attorney who, along with attorney Audia Jones, is representing Butler’s family. “We’re going to hold everyone responsible from county council, to jail staff, to medical providers.”
Richland County has not commented about the homicide ruling.
Alvin S. Glenn Detention is operated by the county. A director leads the jail. At the time of Butler’s death, the interim director was Shane Kitchen, who departed last week for a position at the York County jail. The jail director answers to the county administrator, Leonardo Brown. While Brown oversees the county’s day to day business, he’s ultimately answerable to the county council.