Two new federal court lawsuits were filed this month by individuals based on alleged conditions they encountered as inmates at the Baxter County Detention Center.31-year-old Carl Jones filed his suit July 7 followed by 35-year-old Bradley Hanes on July 15.
Hanes is a pretrial detainee charged with arson, cruelty to animals and first-degree criminal mischief.
The charges stem from a house fire on December 30, 2023. According to the probable cause affidavit, when the first firefighter arrived, Hanes was in the garage of the burning residence located along Kingswood Drive yelling that there were cats inside.
Hanes had been renting a room in the house from the person whose name was on the lease but he had been asked to move out.
There was substantial evidence that the fire had been deliberately set.
One of the lease holders’ cats was killed and another was found stuffed in a dryer but alive.
In his federal court suit, Hanes alleges he was not receiving the proper treatment for what he described as a “chronic mental health condition”. He claims in the suit that he became so depressed, he tried to kill himself.
He alleges “all jail officials did was place me in isolation.”
Hanes is seeking compensatory damages of $250,000 and requests that a jury determine punitive damages.
Jones is also a pretrial detainee in the jail. He is facing charges in seven felony cases stemming mainly from thefts.
In his suit, Jones alleges jail staff “displayed a deliberate indifference” to his “serious medical needs” resulting in an injury.
He claims while jail personnel were aware of his condition, they “allowed” him “to have seizures.” In the complaint, Jones contends that other inmates gave him sugar and peanut butter to “bring me around.”
Jones said he “became comatose three more times, falling on the hard floor while having a seizure” causing injury. He also alleges that he was forced to lay on steel bunks and hard concrete with no mattress or pillow from late March until early April.
There were already several existing suits related to alleged maltreatment of inmates at the jail and one wrongful death suit.
The wrongful death suit was filed in late December last year by the estate of Larry Charles Babin, Jr. Babin was taken from the jail to Baxter Health where he died.
A link to a story on the suit filed by the Babin estate can be found here www.ktlo.com/2025/01/08
The other suits were filed by 64-year-old William E. Smith, 34-year-old Dusty Rhoades, 39-year-old Cody Hastings and 29-year-old Tyler Sutterfield.
The cases filed by Hastings and Sutterfield were dismissed in late June, according to Federal Court records basically for lack of prosecution. Both of the others remain active.
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