JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Following the release of the names of nine Duval County jail employees involved in an incident that led to an inmate’s death, News4JAX is examining their employment history.
News4JAX obtained the concise officer reports for the eight correctional officers and one sergeant removed from their positions following the incident that left Charles Faggart in critical condition. He died days later.
The officers’ names and identification numbers are as follows:
- Sgt. W.H. Cox #76320
- Cox was reprimanded for violating the jail’s response to resistance policy in August 2021. He received a written reprimand. He also had been either repimanded or received counseling over four allegations of failing to conform to work standards. He received a mix of in-house and citizen complaints.
- Ofc. G.L. Mckinnis #86574
- Mckinnis received counseling for an in-house complaint of failing to conform to work standards in 2024.
- Ofc. M.E. Sullivan #84331
- Sullivan received counseling for an in-house complaint of failing to conform to work standards in 2023
- Ofc. E. Kurtovic #84333
- Kurtovic had been reprimanded and ordered to undergo counseling for unbecoming conduct, sleeping on the job, insubordination, and incompetence.
- Ofc. J.J. Bullard #88012
- Ofc. A.K. Maygoo #88643
- Ofc. P.L. Collins #88641
- Ofc. T.C. Pennamon #88613
- Ofc. D.D. Thomas #82590
Bullard, Maygoo, Collins, Pennamon and Thomas had no previous run-ins with internal affairs.
Faggart’s family responded to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s release of a “heavily redacted” report that detailed some of the events that led up to the 31-year-old’s death.
In a statement from the family’s attorney, the family said the were not notificed by JSO before the report was released.
“The fact that this is the narrative being presented to the public, while the family continues to sit in the dark is devastating,” the statement said.
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 stretcher, 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.
Sheriff T.K. Waters asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help investigate the incident.