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TOP STORY OF THE DAY, brought to you free by WICU: CCSD conducting ‘normal’ review of inmate policies
After two escapes in 2020, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department is reviewing the jail’s custodial protocols in the new year.
However, according to officials who say the protocols are always in flux, the review is not new.
“These situations are always tricky,” said Chief Deputy Josh Clarke, about anytime inmates are taken outside of the Clay County Justice Center. “Inmates are taken outside of the secured facility for many reasons, including court appearances and medical appointments. Each one is a unique set of circumstances.”
Why an inmate is leaving the facility, their background and criminal charges are considered before jail officers escort an individual outside of the secure facility.
Inmate workers - also known as “trustees” - are vetted to determine if they can be trusted to provide a valuable service to the facility, such as doing inmate laundry, working daily in the kitchen for three mealtimes, and providing various cleaning services throughout the day, including gathering trash, mowing the yard around the facility or other projects in the community. Correctional officers oversee inmate workers whenever they are outside their cell block.
On August 2, 2020, Timothy Biddy, 59, was a “trustee” who ran away during a trash detail outside the facility. Biddy was picked up in the Terre Haute area on August 4 while driving a stolen vehicle during a police pursuit.
“Obviously, a problem occurred, and we had an escapee,” Clarke said at the time. “It was concluded there was no staff involvement during the escape, no foul play, no assistance given to Biddy during the escape.
An internal investigation of the jail included a review of the facility’s protocols and rules regarding the use of “trustees.” The jail staff was interviewed, video footage and radio communications were also reviewed.
Discrepancies in work performance and procedures/protocols were discovered, ultimately leading to the unidentified correctional officer’s termination in August.
“Our obligation to the community is that they stay safe, and part of doing that is making sure our policies and procedures at the jail are in tip-top shape where situations like this don’t happen,” said Clarke. “It’s unacceptable that it happened, but it did, and now we have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
However, in December, another inmate escaped while in custody, receiving treatment at Union Hospital in Terre Haute. Shannon BJ Jeffers, the suspect in a 26-hour hostage standoff at Best Western Plus Inn near Interstate-70, assaulted one CCSD jail officer, evaded four more officers on duty at the hospital and several staff members chasing him before slipping out a closing door. The Terre Haute Police Special Response Team took Jeffers into custody a few hours later at a residence in the 2600 block of South 8th Street.
Clarke confirmed the investigation in the most recent event included staff interviews and video of the incident.
“There wasn’t any negligence involved in this case,” said Clarke about Jeffers taking advantage of an unusual opportunity: Jeffers wasn’t handcuffed or shackled during medical treatment. “The department and the hospital have protocols in place for inmates, which were followed. This was just an unfortunate set of circumstances.”
Clarke said inmate escapes happen at all sizes of law enforcement agencies, including these recent incidents that made headlines in Indiana:
• On Sunday, January 10, 2021, Hancock County officials confirmed inmate Tyrell Deshawn White, 22, fled from the facility. White was an inmate worker taking trash to dumpsters behind the jail at the time of the escape.
• On December 15, 2020, Lake County Sheriff’s Department confirmed a murder suspect, while being extradited from Texas, escaped from a REDI Transports SUV in a McDonald’s drive-thru. Leon Taylor, 22, was wearing a belly chain with handcuffs and a leg brace when he escaped. Taylor was captured two weeks later.
• October 23, 2020, low-level offender Christopher L. Davis, 34, walked away from the Putnamville Correctional Facility while wearing a yellow jumpsuit. Indiana State Police confirmed Davis was found sleeping in a pickup truck in the area of 7100 S. CR 25E later the same day.
• On August 31, 2020, a prisoner escaped from Seward Borough Police Department custody while being transported to Westmoreland County Prison. The unidentified man told officers he was feeling ill and ran away when allowed out of the car to vomit.
Law enforcement officials are human, and when they attempt to treat inmates with some kindness – let their guard down a little – it often creates a window of opportunity for an inmate.
“Escapes are something that never should happen, but, obviously, sometimes a problem occurs. We try to treat people with dignity and compassion. Then, unfortunately, an escape happens,” said Clarke, who admitted reaching out to the community, providing the necessary information so they can be safe while asking for their assistance during these types of situations proved helpful. “This is an opportunity for us to review protocols, how we work with others providing services for inmates, and make sure everyone stays safe.”
However, according to Clarke, mistakes often lead to success through problem-solving, who said the department had many success stories working with inmates over the years.
“Yet, there’s always that one inmate who doesn’t want to be here,” he said. “Negligence is one thing; carelessness is another. Whereas when an opportunity presents itself, that’s something unpredictable. We need to make sure we don’t have predictable scenarios – or the opportunity – to present themselves.”
The only way to eliminate the potential for escape, according to Clarke, is to make sure no inmate ever leaves lockdown at the Clay County Justice Center during their time of incarceration.
To do that would require all court proceedings, medical, mental health, and dental care to take place in-house, and there were no more outside work programs available.
“Let’s just face it, that’s never going to happen,” he said. “We have people coming and going all the time for various reasons that create a potential for escape.
“The opportunity is there. We have to minimize those opportunities to the best of our ability. We do everything that we can.”