In a case of gross medical incompetence and unforgivable legal ignorance, a man has died while in a Texas county jail. Was it a case of inmate violence? No. Violence on the part of his jailors? No. Suicide? No. The inmate’s family is suing over medication denial in jail. Specifically, the Galveston County Sheriff and two doctors decided to stop the inmate’s Xanax treatment cold turkey because it is a “narcotic” medication.
In a case of gross medical incompetence and unforgivable legal ignorance, a man has died while in a Texas county jail. Was it a case of inmate violence? No. Violence on the part of his jailors? No. Suicide? No. The inmate’s family is suing over medication denial in jail. Specifically, the Galveston County Sheriff and two doctors decided to stop the inmate’s Xanax treatment cold turkey because it is a “narcotic” medication.
According to Randall Kallinen, one of the lawyers representing the family in the federal suit, “This is one of the worst cases of medical indifference to human life I have ever seen.”
I couldn’t agree more.
The inmate, Jesse Jacobs age 32 (pictured above), was incarcerated at the Galveston County Jail in March 2015 for driving while intoxicated. He was serving a 30-day sentence and died eight days into that sentence. Due to good behavior and jail credits, Jacobs was only four days away from early release.
The Galveston County death certificate listed the cause of death as “seizure disorder” and “abrupt discontinuation of long term alprazolam [Xanax] medication.”
No one, I believe, will dispute the poor choice of adding alcohol to one’s system when one is being treated with benzodiazepine drugs. However, that poor choice was not the cause of Jacobs’ death. He had been under treatment for severe panic disorder for over a decade. The treatment included Xanax and other medications.
Federal health officials, doctors, educated patients and just about anyone with the ability to read and an interest in medicine knows that abruptly stopping benzodiazepines can lead to serious withdrawal symptoms, including seizures. How not one, but two doctors who oversaw the decision to stop Jacobs’ meds in such a manner thought this was logical and safe is beyond me.
The Texas Medical Board is deciding whether to discipline these two incompetent doctors. The Galveston County District Attorney’s Office is also investigating the incident. Frankly, I hope the doctors lose their licenses and the Sheriff’s next job entails asking, “Would you like fries with that?”
The suit names Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset and the jail staff. The family is seeking undisclosed damages as well as better training for jail staff. The Sheriff’s office couldn’t be reached for comment yesterday.
However, in an interview with the Houston Press, Sheriff Trochesset said neither he nor his staff did anything wrong. He further said that Jacobs’ Xanax was discontinued due to it being a “narcotic” medication. While Xanax is a controlled substance, it is most definitely not classified as a narcotic.
The fact that a law keeper is seemingly incapable, or at the very least, unwilling to do a five-minute Google search to determine the proper classification of an inmate’s medication is unforgivable. In fact, he could merely have asked jail doctors. Then again, the two quacks overseeing Jacobs’ treatment probably couldn’t even spell “benzodiazepine” much less know that it’s non-narcotic.
According to U.A. Lewis-Piccolo, the family’s general attorney, Jacobs pleaded guilty to the DUI in exchange for the sentence he received. One can be fairly certain that Jacobs had no clue that his sentence would be the death penalty.
On March 6, 2015, Jacobs reported to the jail with all of his prescriptions, medications and even a doctor’s note from his long-time treating psychiatrist. The note, according to records, stated that it was “imperative” that Jacobs was given his medications every day.
Jacobs contacted his parents three days later, on March 9, to let them know he was not receiving his meds.
On March 10, Jacobs’ seizures started. One was so severe, according to the suit that he bit through his tongue.
Three days later, on March 13, jail staff found Jacobs unresponsive, drooling and with no pulse. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on March 14, 2015.
If the Sheriff and the two doctors who oversaw Jacob’s maltreatment while at the Galveston County Jail still have jobs at the end of this investigation, there is truly no justice in this world.
It’s bad enough that society in general has such a pitiful level of knowledge and awareness of mental health issues. It’s ridiculous that such issues are still so stigmatized. However, it’s simply unacceptable that professionals, both in medicine and law enforcement, are allowed to function in their positions with such incorrect and obviously dangerously low levels of knowledge.
My heart goes out to Jacobs’ family.
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