A former Milwaukee County jailer will spend 30 days in jail for his involvement in an inmate’s death.
James Ramsey-Guy shut off the water to Terrill Thomas’ cell.
The water was never turned back on and Thomas died of dehydration.
Ramsey-Guy accepts his role in Thomas’ death and apologized during his sentencing on Mar. 7.
“I’m sorry that Mr. Thomas lost his life. It’s something I carry with me every day. It’s something I think about constantly,” said Ramsey-Guy.
Another jail staffer will spend 60 days in jail for the incident.
Ramsey-Guy’s supervisor who gave the order to turn off the water will be sentenced later this month.
Inmate Assists Detention Officer During Incident in Jail
A lot of terrible things can happen in jails and prisons, but in this instance, a good had emerged.
Last year, an inmate at an Oklahoma jail is being hailed as a hero for coming to the aid of a detention officer who was attacked by another inmate.
The attack, which was captured on a surveillance camera, took place at the Payne County jail in Oklahoma, according to local media reports at the time.
Tashka Robert Frank Maret, 24, tried to punch the jailer before picking him up and slamming him to the ground, KOCO News reported.
The detention officer then tried to call for backup but the inmate kept attacking him.
A second inmate, who had been sitting on a bench, then stepped in to help the officer.
That inmate, identified as Robert Charles Hammock, grabbed Maret and helped the jailer restrain him as other officers arrived on the scene.
Maret had been originally booked in the jail on larceny and public intoxication charges.
Now, he’s facing a charge of assault on a police officer.
He could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison if he’s convicted, KFOR-TV reported.
Captain Kevin Woodward, of Payne County Sheriff’s Office, told KOCO that budget cuts have reduced the number of detention officers in the jail.
“It does make it a little more dangerous for the people,” he noted.
“We certainly wouldn’t want anybody to try and be a good Samaritan and get hurt in the process,” Woodward said, adding that he appreciates Hammock stepping in to help.
Texas Guard Thanks Inmates
Meanwhile, a Texas prison guard recently thanked inmates who helped save his life during a scary incident in 2018.
“I just slumped and went out,” said Gary Grimm, as reported by USA Today. “Next thing I remember is looking up at the ceiling in the ER.”
Grimm was sitting near eight inmates in a locked holding cell when a massive heart attack hit him.
“They thought I was kidding,” Grimm said. “I wasn’t.”
The inmates then started shouting and banging on the cell siding to get another guard’s attention.
Deputies from the courtroom then investigated, the report said.
“Instead of overtaking me and taking my gun, and killing me or taking a hostage and escaping, they looked at me as a human being,” Grimm said.
"Instead of overtaking me and taking my gun, and killing me or taking a hostage and escaping, they looked at me as a…
Posted by Citizens for Prison Reform on Tuesday, 20 February 2018
Grimm said that in two decades on the job, he tries to treat inmates the same way he would want to be treated.
“I don’t care if they’re a drug user, hot check writer … They’re still a human being. I don’t have to like what they did, but it’s not my position to be the judge and jury,” he said.
Grimm, 52, retired from his job due to medical reasons.
“I need that for at least six months, and then maybe we can have a transplant,” he said of surgeries.
Grimm said he would like to thank the imates who saved his life. “I get emotional. If they wished harm for me, all they had to do was sit there and do nothing,” said Grimm.
Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this article
