BONNEY LAKE, Wash. – Ben and Nona Smith say their son suffered from mental and physical health issues. They claim when he was an inmate at the Pierce County jail, staff ignored his basic civil rights.
Matthew Smith was arrested in August 2015 after he stripped off his clothes and got behind the wheel of a car in Bonney Lake.
“The police were chasing him. He was driving erratically. He ran into this garage and was hiding,” said Nona.
When Ben learned his son had been arrested, he immediately worried about Matthew's severe Crohn's disease. The chronic inflammatory condition of his gastrointestinal tract meant he needed to be on a special diet.
“Why didn't anybody do anything about this? He complained time after time after time after time,” said Ben.
He says that's why a federal lawsuit was filed against Pierce County and NaphCare, the company the jail contracts with to provide medical services for inmates. The suit alleges after repeated complaints, Smith didn't get the care he needed and became critically ill.
“They went in, picked him up, loaded him in a wheelchair, took him to an observation cell, and watched him die over the next six hours,” said Ben.
Smith died at the jail on October 9, 2015.
In a statement, Pierce County Sheriff spokesperson Det. Ed Troyer notes jail staff saw Mr. Smith on the floor, called for a response team that included a doctor, and medics attempted lifesaving efforts. Troyer adds that prior to Smith’s death, he was given extra food in accordance with the special food requirements that went along with his medical condition.
NaphCare did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Attorney Ashton Dennis with the Washington Law Center represents the Smith family. In a statement he writes, “the family has been given no answers, no response, and no apology. By bringing this lawsuit, Matthew’s parents hope to bring about positive change and ensure everyone is afforded their basic civil rights.”
