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| S.C. Inmate Deaths Investigated |
| By Myrtle Beach Sun News |
| Published: 06/27/2003 |
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An investigation that led to the firing of a J. Reuben Long Detention Center nursing supervisor and nurse is the second probe of an inmate death this year at the 406-bed facility. Authorities said the two investigations are separate and both are ongoing, but the first had no bearing on the decision to fire the two June 17. Those terminations stem from an internal investigation after the death of Larry Gagum, 43, who was arrested May 7, arrived at the detention center May 8 and died 11 days later. This year's first inmate death was Dawn Marie O'Neill, 41, who died March 1, a day after Conway police charged her with shoplifting and giving false information to police, center director Tom Fox said. An investigation continues, he said. Blake Taylor of the S.C. Department of Corrections estimates inmate deaths from the state's 44 county-run detention centers at about 15 each year. The vast majority die from natural causes and suicide, said Taylor, director of the Compliance, Standards and Inspections division. 'It's rare that inmate deaths are linked to problems in a detention center's medical system,' he said. However, Fox said recently that the investigation that led to the dismissal of two nurses involves the 'operations of the medical section.' Former nurse supervisor Ann Anderson said she and the other nurse, whose name has not been released, are taking the fall for larger problems in the detention center such as overcrowding, overworked staff and an understaffed medical center. 'It was like an anthill in there with everyone coming and going,' Anderson said. 'We had routine stuff to take care of, plus emergencies would always pop up.' Detention center doctor Louie Lawson refused to discuss Gagum's death or the firings last week. A final autopsy on Gagum is expected sometime in August. Eleven days after he was booked at the detention center, Gagum died after being rushed from his cell to the hospital. Fox said Gagum changed cells between his arrival at the jail and his death, but he couldn't say how often. He also would not discuss how often Gagum was treated by the jail's medical staff between May 8 and May 19. Fox said Gagum's medical records were private. |
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