The family of a mentally ill homeless man who starved to death while he spent a year in solitary confinement awaiting trial for pointing finger guns at officers in Arkansas was awarded $6 million for his untimely death.
Larry Eugene Price Jr., who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had an IQ of less than 55, was arrested for pointing finger guns at police officers during a mental health episode outside the Fort Smith Police Department in Arkansas on August 19, 2020, according to a lawsuit filed by Price's estate.
He was taken to the Sebastian County Detention Center and charged with terroristic threatening in the first degree, a state felony. According to the lawsuit, Price couldn't afford the $1,000 bond, so was forced to remain at the detention center where he was placed in solitary confinement.
Over the next year, while in solitary confinement, Price reportedly ate and drank very little because the detention center also failed to provide adequate treatment, per the lawsuit. The staff stopped dispensing mental health medication because Price refused to take it.
"For most of that year, despite his dire need of urgent psychiatric care, Mr. Price languished alone in solitary confinement—in a state of active psychosis—neglected by jail medical and custody staff," the wrongful death complaint stated.
In January 2021, a nurse was notified that Price was eating and drinking his waste. She noted he was "noticeably thinner" and instructed staff to "to weigh him and start a food and fluid log to monitor his intake and output." However, the lawsuit alleges she should have alerted a higher-level provider but there was no indication she did.
Staff members reportedly conducted more than 4,000 consecutive well-being checks on Price in the weeks leading up to his death, but continued claiming that the inmate and cell were okay.
On August 29, 2021, Price was found unclothed in his solitary confinement cell in a pool of water and urine. Fort Smith EMS estimated that the previously 180-pound, 6'2" man weighed approximately 90 pounds while his autopsy stated he weighed 121 pounds.
The Price family filed a lawsuit on January 6, 2023, against Sebastian County, where the detention center was located, and Turn Key Health Clinics, an Oklahoma for-profit firm that provided the center's medical services, for neglect.
The Sebastian County Circuit Court filed documents stating that Sebastian County and Turn Key Health agreed to pay $3 million each to Price's family.
The family's attorney, Erik Heipt of Budge & Heipt PLLC, said "the size of the settlement reflects the magnitude of atrocity that occurred," according to an article from Newsweek featured on the firm's website. It is also "believed to be the largest settlement for a jail death in Arkansas history."
"We were honored to represent Mr. Price's family in their pursuit of justice, and we hope that this historic result sends a powerful message to every single jail and prison in America that this type of blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated," Heipt said.
Larry's brother, Rodney, said his brother's death was "inexcusable" but hoped the ruling will change how law enforcement treats people.
"While no amount of money could bring my brother back, this victory will help give our family some closure as we move forward," Rodney Price said in a statement.
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