Family suing Alachua County Detention Center after newborn died while mother was in jail

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A section household is suing the Alachua County Jail aft a newborn miss died aft being calved successful the jail. The baby’s mother, Erica Thompson, claims unit ignored her cries for help.

She claimed she pleaded for assistance and screamed, but the unit didn’t telephone an ambulance until aft the babe arrived.

Thompson was six months large erstwhile she started having contractions successful August.

“They told her astatine the hospital, if you consciousness similar you’re having much contractions travel backmost tomorrow, we whitethorn person to springiness you medicine to halt the contractions,” said lawyer Natalie Jackson, who’s representing Thompson.

Thompson said she was connected her mode to the infirmary the adjacent greeting erstwhile the deputies came to her mother’s location to apprehension her.

“And I told them, you know, I couldn’t locomotion excessively accelerated to the motortruck due to the fact that I was having contractions,” Thompson said.

Her lawyer said Thompson was arrested connected charges of driving with a suspended licence and lying to police.

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Time-stamped photos released by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office amusement she entered the jailhouse a small earlier 10 a.m. connected August 9. Thompson said she was doubled implicit successful symptom astatine the time, but a caregiver cleared her for booking.

“They gave maine Gatorade due to the fact that they said that would halt my contractions due to the fact that I was conscionable dehydrated,” Thompson said.

Thompson said that she asked to spell to the infirmary aggregate times, but her petition was denied.

“There was truly thing I could bash aft that. She made maine spell successful my cell, and, astatine this point, I’m screaming and crying and begging them to assistance me,” Thompson said.

A inactive representation from surveillance video shows unit astatine her compartment astir 10:20 that night, astir a infinitesimal aft Thompson is seen knocking connected the window. The unit is seen again astatine 10:50 p.m. successful different photo, and EMS is shown arriving 10 minutes later. But, by that point, Thompson said she had fixed commencement to a premature babe girl, Ava.

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Ava aboriginal died astatine the hospital.

“If determination was due aesculapian care, this babe could person been saved,” Jackson said.

Attorneys for Thompson said the installation violated Florida’s Tammy Jackson Act, which calls for incarcerated large women who spell successful to labour to beryllium transported to an due aesculapian installation without hold and to person due care. The enactment besides says large inmates indispensable not beryllium kept successful restrictive lodging against their will.

A spokesperson for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office said the incidental is inactive nether probe and said the facts volition talk for themselves. So far, the Sheriff’s Office has refused to merchandise the afloat surveillance video from wrong the jail.

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