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| Grand Jury Indicts Ex-Jailer in N.C. Inmate's Death |
| By Asheville Citizen-Times |
| Published: 01/20/2003 |
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With a grand jury indictment in hand, a state prosecutor promised that an investigation into the death of a Cherokee County inmate would continue and likely would bring more charges. District Attorney Charles Hipps drew applause with his courthouse announcement that a grand jury indicted former chief jailer Judy Ann Barton Mason on an involuntary manslaughter charge. Mason, 45, faces at least 10 months in prison if convicted. She also is charged with failing to provide medical care to Christopher Lee Wood, a diabetic found dead in his cell after he become violently ill. James Wood pumped his fist at the announcement of charges in his 26-year-old son's death, and then asked Hipps who would apologize to the family. Silent for a moment, Hipps told the tearful father he would do more than that. 'Rather than say I'm sorry, I am here to say I am going to do something about it,' Hipps said. The grand jury said Mason did 'unlawfully and feloniously . kill and slay Christopher Lee Wood.' Wood, an Andrews resident, died Sept. 5, two hours after his parents began begging 911 dispatchers and jailers to take their son to a hospital. He had spent more than two days without food and insulin, and was semi-conscious, according to inmates and jail records. The Woods made four 911 calls, telling dispatchers they thought their son was dying. Mason threatened to have the Woods arrested and told a dispatcher they should be charged with making harassing phone calls. Wood's death began to get widespread attention after the Citizen-Times published a transcript of his parents' calls to emergency dispatchers. Audio copies of the transcripts of the calls on the newspaper's Web site were accessed more than 12,000 times. Former Sheriff Alan Kilpatrick and jailer Mason were not at a news conference and could not be reached for comment. Kilpatrick has denied any mistreatment at |
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