Suicide Celexa 25/02/2002 Kentucky Man in Jail Commits Suicide While on Celexa
 
 Summary:<br><br><div>Paragraph 7 reads:&nbsp; &quot;On Shockley&#39;s<strong> booking form</strong>, the question, ``Does the inmate&#39;s behavior suggest the risk of suicide?&#39;&#39; is answered affirmatively.<strong> The form also noted that Shockley said he was taking his wife&#39;s medication for ``nerves.&#39;&#39;<br /><br /></strong>Paragraph 10 reads: &quot;Shockley&#39;s attorney, Brad Coffman, said that at his request, a psychologist saw his client at the jail. That was on Dec. 9, and on Dec. 29, also at the request of the lawyer, Shockley was seen by the jail&#39;s doctor. <strong>The doctor prescribed <u>Celexa, a </u>drug for depression, jail records say. A jail log says Shockley received one dose daily from Jan. 1, 1999, until he died on March 10, 1999.&quot;<br /></strong>_________________________________________________________________________________________<br />Locked in Suffering; Kentucky&#39;s jails and the mentally ill<br />Courier-Journal, The (Louisville, KY)<br />February 25, 2002<br />Author: SHIPLEY SARA <br />Estimated printed pages: 3 <br /><br /><br />Suicide watch and medication were not enough<br />Sara Shipley<br /><br />Inmate: Kevin Shockley, 39, of Scottsville<br /><br />Jail: Allen County Detention Center, Scottsville<br /><br />Date of death: March 10, 1999<br /><br />Jail records say that Kevin Shockley was put on suicide watch when he was booked into the Allen County Detention Center and that he was later seen by a psychologist and by a physician, who prescribed an antidepressant for him.<br /><br />Shockley remained on the watch for about a month during his 4-1/2-months in jail, according to Jailer James Patrick.<br /><br />Patrick declined to answer specific questions about the suicide watch because the jail has been sued over Shockley&#39;s death.<br /><br />He did say that Shockley gave no indication that he would kill himself.<br /><br />What is clear from the available jail records, obtained under the state Open Records Act, is that Shockley spoke of his anxiety and depression while in the jail.<br /><br />He was jailed on Oct. 29, 1998, after being arrested on two counts of attempted <strong>murder</strong> for allegedly shooting his wife and a man outside Allen County-Scottsville High School.<br /><br />On Shockley&#39;s booking form, the question, ``Does the inmate&#39;s behavior suggest the risk of suicide?&#39;&#39; is answered affirmatively. The form also noted that Shockley said he was taking his wife&#39;s medication for ``nerves.&#39;&#39;<br /><br />Shockley was put on suicide watch because of the seriousness of the charges against him, a deputy jailer later said a statement. Scottsville police Detective Don Rutheford said that as far as he knew, Shockley had no criminal record.<br /><br />About a month into his stay, on Dec. 1, Shockley wrote a request for medical attention: ``Have spells where my mind want (sic) stop racing. . . . Past three weeks, (asthma) attacks have worsened. I don&#39;t think it&#39;s the asthma as much as it is my head/mind bringing it all on.&#39;&#39;<br /><br />Shockley&#39;s attorney, Brad Coffman, said that at his request, a psychologist saw his client at the jail. That was on Dec. 9, and on Dec. 29, also at the request of the lawyer, Shockley was seen by the jail&#39;s doctor. The doctor prescribed Celexa, a drug for depression, jail records say. A jail log says Shockley received one dose daily from Jan. 1, 1999, until he died on March 10, 1999.<br /><br />In a written statement, deputy jailer Tony Buck recalled taking Shockley to see his mother, who was ill.<br /><br />``I do remember when I took him to the hospital to see his mother before she passed away that he said, `I wish the good Lord would just take me out.&#39; But I did not take that as an intent for Mr. Shockley to harm himself,&#39;&#39; Buck wrote after the suicide.<br /><br />Buck also wrote that as time passed, Shockley ``seemed to be getting into better spirits.&#39;&#39;<br /><br />Statements from Buck and several cellmates said Shockley seemed to be fine the night before and the day of his death.<br /><br />But in statements written after the suicide, two of Shockley&#39;s cellmates reported that Shockley had talked about harming himself in the weeks leading up to his death.<br /><br />One said Shockley had talked the week before about using a razor to cut his wrists.<br /><br />Another inmate said that about a month earlier, Shockley ``asked me if I would slip him a razor blade.&#39;&#39;<br /><br />``I really didn&#39;t think he was serious about it,&#39;&#39; the inmate said.<br /><br />Both inmates said they did not mention these incidents to the jail staff.<br /><br />On the afternoon of March 10, 1999, while most of his cellmates were out on work-release jobs, Shockley hanged himself in his cell&#39;s shower, jail records say.<br /><br />Shockley&#39;s wife, Paulette, filed a lawsuit in Allen Circuit Court in April 2000 alleging that the jail and Patrick, who are among several defendants in the suit, knew or should have known that Shockley was ``depressed and/or suicidal&#39;&#39; and were negligent in permitting him to be ``alone and unwatched.&#39;&#39;<br /><br />In their response, Patrick and the other defendants denied the allegations. The suit is pending.<br /><br />- Sara Shipley<br /><br />Shockley spoke of his anxiety and depression during his time at the Allen County jail. <br />Edition:&nbsp; KY;KENTUCKY<br />Section:&nbsp; NEWS<br />Page:&nbsp; 15A<br />Index Terms: LOCKED IN SUFFERING; KENTUCKY&#39;S JAILS AND THE MENTALLY ILL; SER SERIES<strong>; </strong>LAW ENFORCEMENT<strong>; </strong>JAIL; Kevin Shockley <br />Dateline:&nbsp; KENTUCKY, USA;UNITED STATES, Allen County, SCOTTsville <br />Copyright (c) The Courier-Journal. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.<br />Record Number:&nbsp; lou2002022610434254 <br /><br />OpenURL Article Bookmark (right click, and copy the link location):<br /><a href="http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&amp;rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:LCJB&amp;rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&amp;rft_dat=0F53FB9A11692C96&amp;svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&amp;req_dat=0FC00B934DD580D0">Locked in Suffering; Kentucky&#39;s jails and the mentally </a><a href="http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&amp;rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:LCJB&amp;rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&amp;rft_dat=0F53FB9A11692C96&amp;svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&amp;req_dat=0FC00B934DD580D0">ill</a><br /></div> 
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