Harry Weccele Died In Custody Following Arrest In Wayne County
Wrongful Death - January 10, 2023
Harry Weccele, of Evansville, Indiana, Died Following Medical Emergency After Being Booked Into The Wayne County Jail
WAYNE COUNTY, ILLINOIS (January 9, 2022) – A 59-year-old man identified as Harry Weccele has tragically died after having a medical emergency at the Wayne County Jail.
Wayne County officials are saying that the incident took place around 11:58 p.m. on Wednesday. Harry Weccele was pulled over in a traffic stop and taken into custody on an outstanding warrant.
He was taken to The Wayne County jail and complained about shoulder pain. Harry Weccele was then transported to a local area hospital and was later pronounced dead.
A full investigation remains ongoing at this time.
Liability For Wayne County In Custody Deaths
Jails are supposed to be places of rehabilitation. But far too often they are where inmates and suspects go to be neglected and mistreated. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “In 2019, the mortality rate in state prisons was 330 per 100,000 state prisoners, while federal prisoners in facilities operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) died at a rate of 259 per 100,000. prisons or private prison facilities under a state contract, a decrease of 284 deaths from 2018.” There are many steps that should be taken to help keep suspects safe when they are admitted to jail.
- Inmates should receive a pre-health screening.
- Suspects should be properly monitored when they are admitted.
- Correctional officers should be well trained.
Any person that is taken into custody has a number of rights guaranteed under the constitution. They have a right to receive reasonably adequate healthcare. When a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate, this could form the basis of a negligence claim. For example, jail officials may not have given a suspect adequate care while they were experiencing some type of overdose. There are a number of steps that should be taken after any type of in custody death.
- Body camera footage from all officers involved should be examined.
- Eye witnesses should be interviewed.
- Medical records should be preserved.
- An autopsy may need to be performed.
It can be hard to know where to begin after any in custody death. But it is important for suspects to know that they do have rights. The family of any person that died in custody may have legal recourse through a civil if that is what they choose. Sadly, though, jails will nearly always deny all responsibility for the death of any inmate that died in their care.
Investigating A Wayne County In Custody Death
We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates extend our deepest condolences to the family of Harry Weccele. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators. It is our sincere hope that steps are taken to prevent other tragedies like this.
Do you need more information about a Wayne County in custody death? Our team of civil rights advocates are here to answer any questions that you may have. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. Whether you just have legal questions or need more information about any incident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (312) 564-4256.
