A Fulton County Jail inmate died Saturday, the fourth such death this month.
Samuel Lawrence, 34, was found unresponsive by a detention office in his cell around 4:20 p.m. during dinner rounds, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Atlanta Police Department will conduct a death investigation, with the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office performing an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
According to the sheriff’s office, Lawrence had been arrested by APD and booked to the jail on December 26, 2022 for 2nd Degree Arson. He was being held on a $30,000 bond, which had been granted in April 2023.
A judge had originally denied bond a day after he had been booked into the Rice Street Jail due to “likelihood to re-offend and criminal history”, according to a bond denial order.
According to court documents, Lawrence’s attorney had filed a petition for bond reduction last month and stated that he had not been indicted yet. A hearing had been scheduled for September 21, 2023.
The Rice Street jail is under review by the U.S. Justice Department. Between 2009 and October 2022, more than 60 Fulton inmates died, the highest total for any jail in Georgia during that time, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found. Eight inmates in the custody of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office have died this year.
The latest death comes days after 19 defendants, including former President Donald Trump, were booked there after being indicted on RICO charges, accused of trying to overthrow the Georgia results of the last presidential election. Only one of the 19 defendants, Harrison Floyd, spent much time inside the jail, after initially being denied bond. The other 18 defendants spend just a couple of hours, or in Trump’s case less than 30 minutes, inside the jail.
Alexander Hawkins, 66, was found unresponsive in a medical unit cell at the jail two weeks ago.
Earlier this month, Christopher Smith was found unresponsive by a detention officer in a medical unit cell. He was resuscitated by medical personnel before being taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he died. Smith had been at the jail since October 2019 without bond on felony and misdemeanor charges.
Montay Stinson, 40, was found unresponsive with “no obvious signs of injury,” officials said. Attempts to revive her were unsuccessful. Stinson had been in the facility since October 2022.
Last month, Noni Battiste-Kosoko was found unresponsive in an area the Atlanta City Detention Center controlled by the sheriff’s office.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner determined Battiste-Kosoko died of olanzapine toxicity.
“Autopsy examination revealed minor superficial injuries but no internal evidence of significant recent injury; there was no evidence of acute natural disease processes,” the ME’s report said. “Postmortem toxicology testing was positive for the above-listed substance, as well as resuscitative-associated drugs, and was negative for alcohol.
“Review of records from the correctional institution revealed she had a reported history of bipolar disorder and was prescribed olanzapine, which was administered daily by staff,” the ME’s report went on. “Based on information available at this time, and due to unclear circumstances surrounding the ingestion of the medication, the manner of death could not be determined.”
The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation in July, citing the Sept. 13, 2022 death of Lashawn Thompson, whose body was found covered in insects. His cause of death was undetermined, according to a Fulton County Medical Examiner’s report that noted a severe insect infestation. Fulton County recently approved a $4 million settlement in that case.
The jail’s medical provider, NaphCare, has said the jail is so dangerous that it wants security guards to accompany clinical workers behind bars.
Birmingham-based NaphCare had originally planned to end its $27 million contract with the county on May 31, but agreed to stay on through June 30. In June, Fulton County commissioners approved a $4.8 million contract amendment with NaphCare to continue to provide physical and mental health care at the jail for the rest of the year.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Amid an internal investigation into Thompson’s death in April, Sheriff Pat Labat announced the resignations of Fulton Chief Jailer John Jackson, the assistant chief jailer and the assistant chief jailer of the criminal investigative division.
“It’s clear to me that it’s time, past time, to clean house,” Labat said at the time.
At the time, Labat also said he was looking for a new medical provider but he was unable to find one to take over NaphCare’s contract, so the company agreed to stay on.
Plans for a new jail are moving ahead but commissioners recently failed to approved a companion plan to pay for the new jail’s design and to keep the old jail running until 2029. The new jail is expected to cost approximately $1.7 billion, with construction projected to last from 2026 through 2028.
Opened in 1989 to house 1,125, the current jail was almost immediately overcrowded, county officials have said.
