The City of Anniston, its police chief, and several city jail employees have now been named in a lawsuit filed by the estate of a man who committed suicide while being held at the jail.
The suit, filed June 26th in U.S. District Court, is seeking damages in the death of 52 year old Jeffrey K. Russell of Alexandra, who was found hanging in his cell on February 21st of 2014.
He had been sentenced to a prison term of two years due to bad check charges in Covington County, but had been released after agreeing to a payment schedule; however the sentence was re-instated after Russell failed to make the monthly payments as agreed upon.
The suit contends that when Russell was taken into custody on the outstanding warrant he was allowed to remain in his street clothes – including a necktie. He was found hanging by the necktie in his cell the following morning.
The suit goes on to say that, at that time, Russell was being treated for depression, and that police failed to properly access his mental condition of, both during the booking procedure and before he was placed in a cell.
(al.com/www.al.com)
