NYC jail guard charged in death of inmate who ate disinfectant
Source: Reuters
NYC jail guard charged in death of inmate who ate disinfectant
Source: Reuters - Mon, 24 Mar 2014 07:43 PM
By Jonathan Allen
March 24 (Reuters) - A former senior guard at New York City's main jail complex was arrested on Monday on a federal charge that he deprived a mentally ill inmate of medical aid after he swallowed a corrosive disinfectant.
Terrence Pendergrass, 49, was a captain on duty at Rikers Island last August when an inmate in the mental health assessment unit swallowed a so-called "soap ball," according to a criminal complaint.
Unaware that rules require the soap ball to be diluted in water, an inexperienced guard gave it to the inmate, Jason Echevarria, so he could clean up sewage flooding his cell, the complaint said. Instead, Echevarria swallowed the ball, which contained highly caustic ammonium chloride, it said.
Over the course of the evening, the inmate, with skin discolored, was banging on his door, vomiting and screaming for medical assistance, two guards and a pharmacy technician told Pendergrass, the supervisor of the unit, the complaint said.
The pharmacy technician told Pendergrass the inmate could die without help, it said.
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Fifty-six-year-old Jerome Murdough had been charged with trespassing and placed in an observation unit for inmates with mental illnesses at Rikers Island.
Four city officials say Murdough, who took anti-psychotic and anti-seizure medication, apparently did not open a small vent to let cool air into his cell, as other inmates did. Officials also said he was not checked for hours, in violation of department protocol.
