Suing for Justice: The Tragic Tale of Lavell Lane
A heartbreaking incident has come to the fore in Spartanburg County, S.C., where the actions of the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office have come under severe scrutiny. The Lane Reese family has enlisted the support of Spartanburg family lawyers and taken the drastic step of suing both Spartanburg County and the sheriff’s office. This decision comes in the wake of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and the attorney general’s office concluding their inquiries, with neither pursuing any criminal charges.
Details Surrounding Lavell Lane’s Death
The tragic story began with the death of Lavell Lane, a 29-year-old man with a documented history of schizophrenia, in the Spartanburg County Detention Center on October 3. The circumstances of Lane’s arrest were peculiar. He had been brought to jail for allegedly headbutting someone at a hospital a few days prior. A SLED report, accessible through the Freedom of Information Act, reveals that detention center personnel administered two doses of Abilify to Lane – an antipsychotic medication he had no prior experience with. Lane’s unfortunate demise was later attributed by the coroner’s office to a grave reaction to the antipsychotic drugs, a condition known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Attorneys and family lawyers near me familiar with the case have highlighted the lack of any illegal substances or alcohol in Lane’s system, pointing to the antipsychotic medication given by the detention center as the primary cause of death.
The Family’s Plea for Transparency and Accountability
On Lane’s arrest, attorney Christopher Pracht states that Lane exhibited symptoms consistent with NMS such as agitation, hallucinations, profuse sweating, and later, seizures. The detainee’s ordeal didn’t end there. During a cell transfer, reports from SLED disclose that deputies tased Lane twice or possibly more and also subjected him to pepper spray. A chilling account by Pracht reveals the extent of the mistreatment – Lane, in an attempt to wash the pepper spray from his eyes, was thwarted when a deputy sprayed the very toilet bowl he was trying to extract water from. A mere five hours following these incidents, Lane was found lifeless. The grieving mother, Beverly Lane Reese, expressed her anguish and demands accountability and a full disclosure of the events leading to her son’s death. Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated incident at the Spartanburg County Detention Center. Between 2015 and 2021, the facility has seen 18 inmate deaths, the highest count among all South Carolina County Detention Facilities. Efforts to procure a comment from the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office regarding the lawsuit were met with silence.
For families facing similar injustices, a team of dedicated Spartanburg family lawyers is essential. In this challenging time, the assistance of specialized family lawyers can play a crucial role in navigating the complex legal landscape.
