A former corrections officer has pleaded guilty after an inmate was reportedly kept cold, wet and naked in an Alabama jail cell until he died.
On Tuesday, Joshua Conner Jones pleaded guilty to one count of criminal conspiracy to deprive an inmate of their rights in the Walker County Jail.
Jones was reportedly working on Jan. 12, 2023, when Tony Mitchell, 33, was brought to the jail for allegedly firing at deputies while they were conducting a welfare check, as reported by WBRC. The plea agreement stated that Jones thought Mitchell should have been taken to a "hospital or mental health facility," but he was instead incarcerated.
Mitchell was denied healthcare screenings after he was booked, which are available to every inmate, according to court documents obtained by WBRC. Mitchell was reportedly unable to undress himself, and had to be taken to his cell in a wheelchair.
Mitchell was described as "almost always naked, wet, cold and covered in feces while lying on the cement floor without a mat or blanket" in the plea deal, according to the Associated Press. Eventually, it said he became "mostly unresponsive to questions from officers."
The 33-year-old was jailed for two weeks before corrections officers took Mitchell to the hospital on Jan. 26, 2023, where he later died. His cause of death was listed as hypothermia and sepsis from medical neglect.
The plea deal stated that Jones and his co-conspirators said that Mitchell "'gets what he gets since he shot at cops' or words to that effect," as reported by the Associated Press.
Jones previously agreed to plead guilty in August after his charges were announced in July, as reported by WBRC. The plea agreement obtained by the station stated that Jones admitted, "collectively we did it. We killed him."
Jones is out on bond while he awaits sentencing.
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