Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 17, 1994 TAG: 9407170008
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MANASSAS LENGTH: Medium
Buchanan, 37, of Manassas, died of a heart valve problem early June 30, according to autopsy results released Thursday. Buchanan was awaiting a preliminary hearing on drug and parole-violation charges.
Inmate Kym Morgan said Buchanan began coughing and telling guards he was having severe difficulty breathing at 11 p.m. Jail staff members did not return to examine Buchanan until nearly 3 a.m., Morgan said.
"They should have taken him out when he first complained," she said. "I could hear him coughing and throwing up, and then all of a sudden I didn't hear anything after 1:40 a.m."
Jail superintendent Glendell Hill said Friday that Buchanan did not ask for help from jail employees. A statement released by the jail the day Buchanan died reported that staff found him unconscious about 3 a.m. on a routine check.
Buchanan's family is upset about what they said was a 30-minute delay in summoning an ambulance. Dispatch logs from the Manassas police show that no call from the jail for medical help was received until 3:28 a.m.
"We want to know what was going on between the time they found him and the time they called for help," said Mary Buchanan, John's sister.
Hill declined to comment Friday on how much time passed before an ambulance was called. He said it is standard procedure to summon an ambulance when an inmate is found unconscious.
In addition, Hill said, jail staff members always ask new inmates about their health problems, and Buchanan did not report any.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB