Second jailer to plead guilty in Alabama inmate’s hypothermia death

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A second Alabama jailer has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges for her “minimal role” in the death of a mentally ill man who died of hypothermia after being held naked in a concrete cell. According to the plea agreement, Kelly was concerned cell conditions posed a serious threat to the man’s well-being but did not alert authorities, other than her supervisor, because she feared retaliation. Tony Mitchell, 33, died on Jan. 26, 2023, after being brought from the Walker County Jail to a hospital emergency room in severe medical distress. The concrete cell, which was sometimes referred to as the jail’s drunk tank, “was notoriously cold during winter months and the temperature on the bare cement floor was even colder,” according to the plea agreement. For much of the time Mitchell was housed naked, without a mat or blanket.” “My client has accepted full responsibility for her minimal role in this tragic death,” Kelly’s defense lawyer Brett Bloomston wrote in a statement to news outlets. She sincerely hopes that this tragedy leads to new policies and procedures to protect those who are housed in the jail.” After Mitchell died, Kelly leaked video showing that Mitchell was carried unconscious out of the jail, according to a civil lawsuit she filed. The Walker County sheriff’s office posted a photo on its Facebook page, adding that Mitchell, who had his face painted black, “brandished a handgun, and fired at least one shot at deputies” before running into the woods. Prosecutors wrote in Jones’ plea agreement that when Mitchell’s deteriorating condition would be mentioned, the co-conspirators would reply that “‘he gets what he gets since he shot at cops’ or words to that effect.” The plea agreement indicated there were five co-conspirators in the mistreatment that led to Mitchell’s death, an indication that the investigation is ongoing, and more people could be charged in the death. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/second-jailer-plead-guilty-alabama-inmates-hypothermia-death-rcna167276