It took one week for jurors to decide that someone should be held responsible for Terrill Thomas’s death. One week is also the same amount of time that Thomas was without water before dying of dehydration in the Milwaukee County Jail. Corrections officers cut off the water in his cell and never turned it back on—all the while managing not to bring him water or drinks with his food for an entire week. Being that he suffered from bipolar disorder, it is likely that Thomas was unable to let the officers know that he was in distress during that time. On Monday, after an inquest that began exactly one year after Thomas was found dead in his cell, the jury came to the conclusion that this is not an acceptable way to treat inmates. They recommended that prosecutors file criminal charges against seven Milwaukee County Jail employees in connection to Thomas’s death.
The jury found probable cause to charge the seven staff members, including two supervisors, with felony abuse, according to Erik Heipt, a lawyer representing Mr. Thomas’s estate.
“Nothing like this should ever happen in an American jail,” Mr. Heipt said, “and we’re pleased that justice is taking its course.”
Sheriff David Clarke, however, still has his job. There have been a number of egregious human rights abuses to take place in the Milwaukee County Jail under his watch—including multiple deaths and abuse of pregnant women. But Clarke, a favorite of the national GOP and Trump lackey, seems unfazed by the jury’s findings.
In a statement posted online, Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County said he would await the district attorney’s decision.
“This is part of a process,” said Sheriff Clarke, who has gained national prominence as a Fox News regular and an outspoken supporter of President Trump. “I respect the process. Jury recommendations are just that.”
The district attorney’s office is not bound by the jury’s recommendation and does not have to charge the employees. But let’s hope they do. It wouldn’t make sense to go through the trouble of requesting an inquest, having a jury recommend charges and then not file them. Terrill Thomas and the other abused inmates of the Milwaukee County Jail deserve justice. And David Clarke deserves to be fired.