STORY: "Chavis Carter's mom files wrongful death lawsuit" by reporter Monica Land, published by The Grio on October 23, 2013.
GIST: "Theresa Rudd wants answers. More specifically, she wants to know the truth as to how her son, 21-year-old Chavis Carter, died and she’s willing to go to court to find out. Nearly one year after Carter was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, Rudd filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas; as well as Keith Baggett and Ronald Marsh, the two police officers present when Carter was shot and Jonesboro police chief Michael Yates. Arkansas officials claim Carter shot himself on the night of July 28, 2012 while sitting in the back of a police cruiser – and with his hands cuffed and double-locked behind his back. An initial investigation by the Jonesboro police determined that Carter committed suicide. Yates said Marsh was reprimanded and temporarily suspended for failing to properly search Carter. He has since been reinstated. The internal investigation found no wrongdoing on the part of the other officer, Keith Baggett, Yates said.
Statements from eyewitnesses, text messages, video and physical evidence established that Baggett didn’t violate any policy or procedure. “Based upon these facts and circumstances I made the decision to return them to active duty status,” Yates told The Associated Press in an email. “I’m so mad. I’m hurt,” Rudd told WREG TV. “I have accepted the fact that he’s gone. But I want to know what happened.”"
The complaint also alleges:
The entire story can be found at:
GIST: "Theresa Rudd wants answers. More specifically, she wants to know the truth as to how her son, 21-year-old Chavis Carter, died and she’s willing to go to court to find out. Nearly one year after Carter was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, Rudd filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Jonesboro, Arkansas; as well as Keith Baggett and Ronald Marsh, the two police officers present when Carter was shot and Jonesboro police chief Michael Yates. Arkansas officials claim Carter shot himself on the night of July 28, 2012 while sitting in the back of a police cruiser – and with his hands cuffed and double-locked behind his back. An initial investigation by the Jonesboro police determined that Carter committed suicide. Yates said Marsh was reprimanded and temporarily suspended for failing to properly search Carter. He has since been reinstated. The internal investigation found no wrongdoing on the part of the other officer, Keith Baggett, Yates said.
Statements from eyewitnesses, text messages, video and physical evidence established that Baggett didn’t violate any policy or procedure. “Based upon these facts and circumstances I made the decision to return them to active duty status,” Yates told The Associated Press in an email. “I’m so mad. I’m hurt,” Rudd told WREG TV. “I have accepted the fact that he’s gone. But I want to know what happened.”"
The complaint also alleges:
- The officers found a plastic bag in the truck containing a “white substance” and only question Carter about its contents. Carter denies any knowledge of the bag and asks officers to fingerprint the bag.
- Despite being a “few feet” away from the police car, the two officers claimed that neither heard the gunshot that took Carter‘s life.
- One of the officers admittedly picked up the gun reportedly used in Carter’s death. But once a fingerprint analysis was done, there were no fingerprints on the weapon. Not the officer’s. Not Carter‘s.
- Carter was alive when officers found him in the back of the squad car and that one of the officers used his personal cell phone to take at least four pictures of Carter while he “was still breathing.“
- In their initial police reports, both Baggett and Marsh stated they each called dispatch and requested an ambulance because they saw Carter was still alive. Marsh said he took the pictures for “documentation.”
- After Carter was found in the back seat, the police car was washed down, destroying any evidence needed for further or an outside investigation, and almost immediately put back into service.
- Once Carter was transported to the hospital, “members of the Jonesboro Police Department ordered all hospital personnel out of the room and remained alone with Chavis Carter’s body for an unknown period of time.”
- One of the officers, Ronald Marsh, was in possession of an audio recording device “used to record” all his “interactions with individuals with whom he made contact” with that night. But Marsh claims the memory card for the device was “lost” somewhere between the scene of Carter’s death and the police station which is only about a mile apart.
The entire story can be found at:
http://thegrio.com/2013/10/23/chavis-carters-mom-files-wrongful-death-lawsuit/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com;
