JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released on Monday afternoon the incident report and the names of the nine Duval County jail officers who are being investigated in connection to the death of an inmate.
JSO shared a statement on social media along with the heavily redacted incident report that gives some insight into what happened last Monday before Charles Faggart, 31, was transported to a hospital with critical injuries. He died days later.
The readable sections of the report paint the picture of a chaotic scene where officers said Faggart was acting so aggressively he had to be restrained in a safety chair. Officers also said they witnessed him having what appeared to be a seizure.
“As we understand that a critical incident such as this generates questions and concerns, we want our community to have all the available information as soon as possible while maintaining the integrity of the criminal investigation. To that end, the information in the report has been redacted to maintain the integrity of the investigation,” the statement reads in part.
MORE | Click here to read the redacted incident report
The sheriff’s office also released the names of the eight correctional officers and a correctional sergeant who were removed from their positions amid the investigation.
The officers’ names and identification numbers are:
- Sgt. W.H. Cox #76320
- Ofc. T.C. Pennamon #88613
- Ofc. G.L. Mckinnis #86574
- Ofc. D.D. Thomas #82590
- Ofc. M.E. Sullivan #84331
- Ofc. P.L. Collins #88641
- Ofc. A.K. Maygoo #88643
- Ofc. E. Kurtovic #84333
- Ofc. J.J. Bullard #88012
According to JSO, other officers were also listed in the report but are not currently part of the active investigation. Some of them may have witnessed a portion of the incident or responded to help in the incident.
“It is a top priority for Sheriff Waters and his administration to get the information involving this incident to Mr. Faggart’s family, friends, and our community. However, we ask people to respect that serious investigations like this take time and it is our duty to get it right. Rest assured; we will release relevant case details as soon as we are able to do so,” JSO’s statement says.
Attorney Belkis Plata, who represents Faggart’s family, sent a statement to News4JAX following the release of JSO’s statement, incident report and names of the officers.
Plata’s statement expresses the family’s “grief, anger, and deep frustration” following JSO’s decision to share the new information, saying that it was released without “any prior notice to his family.”
“While the Sheriff may not consider this newly released report part of the official investigation, the family does. They have been begging for answers, only to receive fragmented and selective information through media reports, under the guise of transparency,” the statement says in part.
Incident timeline
Faggart, the owner of a food truck and catering company and father of a 6-year-old, died on Thursday afternoon after being “brain dead” since last Monday, according to the family’s attorney, Belkis Plata.
According to a JSO incident report, the incident that led to his death started around 7 a.m. that Monday morning.
Sgt. Cox, along with officers Kurtovic, Vertus and Lane, were escorting Faggart to a dorm in the jail with one-piece restraints behind his back when JSO said Faggart started “displaying aggressive, erratic and disruptive behavior by thrashing his body, clenching his fist and pushing & pulling actions.”
Sgt. Cox determined that Faggart was a threat to himself and others, JSO said, so he was put into a restraint safety chair. JSO said Faggart was seated in the restraint safety chair with the lumbar support removed, but due to his increasingly aggressive behavior — kicking his feet and thrashing his body — the chair was unable to be secured.
What happened next is redacted in the report, but one minute later, Officer Maygoo arrived to help secure Faggart in the chair around 7:05 a.m. Sgt. Cox did something else, which is redacted and unclear in the report, and Faggart started to calm down, JSO said.
Then another officer arrived with a “spit-mask” and put it on Faggart, and he was secured in the chair — with the one-piece restraints still on — by Officer Clifton, Officer Kurtovic and Officer Vertus under the direct supervision of Sgt. Cox.
Around 7:12 a.m., Lieutenant S. Wesley arrived, and 12 minutes later, Mental Health Director Webb showed up and began evaluating Faggart. JSO said Faggart then told Webb that he “did fentanyl” and she deemed him fit to be placed in self-harm housing.
“LPN Morris” medically evaluated Faggart around 7:28 a.m., and found he was “medically fit” to remain in the restraint safety chair.
At approximately 8:39 a.m., Webb and a registered nurse began evaluating Faggart. Shortly after, Sgt. Cox and other officers arrived. That’s when Officer Pennamon, who wrote the incident report, removed the spit-mask off Faggart.
At approximately 8:50 a.m., Sgt. Cox decided Faggart should be removed from the restraint safety chair, JSO said.
Once Faggart was removed from the chair, he was escorted to Cell #25 by seven officers under the supervision of Sgt. Cox, according to the incident report.
It is unclear what happened immediately after Faggart was escorted to the cell because this section of the report is redacted. However, the report indicates that Sgt. Cox deemed it necessary for Faggart to be placed in the restraint safety chair again “for the safety of himself, others & property.”
Then it appears something happened around 8:55 a.m., as Pennamon was trying to escort Faggart out of the cell. This portion of the incident was redacted as well.
Faggart was then placed back in the restraint safety chair by Pennamon, Kurtovic, Sullivan, Bullard, Thomas, McKinnis, Collins and Maygoo, under the supervision of Sgt. Cox, who also placed a spit-mask on Faggart, JSO said.
The redacted report does not include the details of what happened next involving Sullivan, around 8:57 a.m., when Faggart was placed in the chair. However, the report does state that around 9 a.m., Lieutenant Wesley arrived with medical staff.
At approximately 9:05 a.m., the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department arrived.
Five minutes later, JFRD placed Faggart on a stretecher, and JFRD installed the Lucas Compression Device to “continue delivering chest compressions.”
Faggart was then transported to UF Health Shands.
The report also indicates no additional charges were placed against Faggart, who was originally booked into jail on simple domestic assault and criminal mischief charges.
Pennamon, who wrote the incident report, said he injured his right ankle during the incident.
Pennamon also noted at the top of the report that Faggart was witnessed having what was described as a suspected seizure, though it’s unclear when it happened.
Investigation continues
On Sunday, Faggart’s family spoke at a peaceful protest held on the steps of the JSO Memorial Building, demanding answers and “justice for Charles.”
“I am so thankful for the 31 years I got with him, but I should have gotten at least 31 more, and I’m sorry I can’t speak anymore,” Tracey Karpas, Faggart’s mom, said through tears.
A day before Faggart’s death, Sheriff T.K. Waters said he formally requested the Jacksonville Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to help investigate the incident.
According to JSO, once the criminal investigation ends, the sheriff’s office will also administratively review the incident to determine if policies and/or procedures were followed correctly by staff.