“It is inconceivable,” wrote Paul J. Cristallo in a press statement, “that a young man such as Brendan could have lost his life in the Cuyahoga County Jail considering the scrutiny the County is under. Cuyahoga County has clearly been on notice that they were not operating a facility in compliance with the United States Constitution, yet they failed to take the steps necessary which could have saved Brendan’s life.”
While the press statement, (attached below), makes no mention of a lawsuit, Cristallo is preparing to file one on behalf of the Kiekisz family.
Brendan Kiekisz’ death is the eighth at the county jail since June, and the 56th suicide attempt at the facility in 2018. The death is indeed alarming given the recent scrutiny. But it’s especially tragic because Kiekisz should not have been there at all.
Cleveland.com reported that Kiekisz had been booked into jail on Christmas Day “on suspicion of violating the terms of his court-ordered drug intervention program.” But at a hearing last week, Judge Michael Donnelly ruled that Kiekisz actually hadn’t violated the terms of the program. He had been arrested at a hospital, after ODing on heroin, because he’d failed to report to his probation officer, (presumably because he was at the hospital). Donnelly said that Kiekisz should have been sent to a treatment facility instead of the jail. He was taken back to the jail before he was transferred to a medical facility in Highland Hills. And a few hours later, he was found hanging in his cell.
The chronically understaffed jail was yet again understaffed that night. A single corrections officer was responsible for watching about 100 inmates, a “double-pod” situation which officers have repeatedly argued against and filed grievances over.
Kiekisz had reportedly attempted suicide two days before he was booked into the jail and suffered from bipolar disorder and depression.
This article appears in Jan 2-8, 2019.
What is inconceivable, is the fact that Cuyahoga County will now be on the hook for yet another massive lawsuit pay out that the taxpayers will be on the hook for, thanks to the constant ineptness of Armond Budish!!!!
It is past time for Budish, as well as his cohort in thief, Taxin Jackson, to both be recalled from office now!!!!
Both of these crooks need to be sent to jail for their never ending, constant financial mismanagement, and downright corruption of our taxpayer money!!!!
So let me get this straight. A guy overdoses while on probation,clearly doing something he has already been in trouble for. He goes to jail where he attempts suicide and later dies and it’s the county’s fault?? Only in Cleveland is a criminal addict made into a victim and it’s everyone else’s fault he chose to do drugs. That’s almost as good as the piece of shit thug getting shot by Police after he robbed a store and his family getting a settlement. We need a government with a spine that doesn’t pander to thugs and criminals.