Arkansas county jail and health provider agree to $6 million settlement over detainee’s 2021 death

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A county in western Arkansas and a health provider have agreed to a $6 million settlement with the family of a man who died from dehydration and malnutrition while being held in a local jail, an attorney for the family said Thursday.

Sebastian County and Turn Key Health Clinics LLC agreed to each pay $3 million to Larry Eugene Price Jr.’s family to settle a lawsuit filed over Price’s 2021 death, attorney Erik Heipt said in a news release.

“The size of this settlement reflects the magnitude of the atrocity that occurred,” Heipt said. “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.”

A spokesperson for Turn Key confirmed it had agreed to the settlement. The Sebastian County Quorum Court voted to settle the lawsuit last month. An attorney for the county did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Price died after being held a little over a year at the facility awaiting trial on a terroristic threatening charge. Price, 51, who had a history of serious mental illness, had been held in solitary confinement at the county facility, according to the lawsuit his family filed last year.

The lawsuit against Sebastian County accused the jail and Turn Key of neglecting Price as he ate and drank less over the course of a year and his weight dropped from 185 pounds (83.91 kilograms) to 90 pounds (40.82 kilograms).

Jail staff discontinued Price’s mental health medications after he refused to take them and didn’t make any effort to follow up with the inmate to address his mental health needs, the lawsuit says.

Turn Key said in a statement that at the time of Price’s death, it provided medical care and eight hours of psychiatric services per week, but not counseling or acute mental health counseling services. It said the center contracted with the county to provide mental health counseling services failed to do so with Price.

“After Mr. Price’s death, Turn Key and Sebastian County agreed that having a different mental health counseling provider from the medical and psychiatric provider at the jail was not in the best interests of patients at the SCDC,” spokesperson Kenna Griffin said. “Turn Key now provides all medical, mental health counseling, and psychiatric services at Sebastian County.”

Rodney Price, Larry Price’s brother, called his brother’s death “inexcusable” but hoped the case and the settlement would lead to changes in the criminal justice system.

“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. “And we hope and pray that it will lead to changes in how our jails treat people in their custody and will save lives in the future.”

Andrew Demillo, The Associated Press