Advisory ruling comes after final day of testimony in which it was revealed that two other inmates had water to their cells shut off in days after Terrill Thomas died

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WEBVTT KATHY: OUR TOP STORY -- CHARGESARE RECOMMENDED IN THE DEATH OFAN INMATE AT THE MILWAUKEECOUNTY JAIJOYCE: TERRILL THOMAS DIED OFDEHYDRATION LAST YEAR AFTERGOING SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT WATER.12 NEWS' NICK BOHR IS LIVEOUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE.KATHY: NICK, THE JURORS FOUNDTHE JAIL STAFF SHOULD BECHARGENICK: THAT IS THEIR THOUGHT.THE JURY HEARD SIX DAY OFTESTIMONY AND DELIBERATED FOR ANHOUR AND A HALF BEFORE MAKINGTHEIR DECISION.IN THE END, THE JURY DECIDED TORECOMMEND CHARGES AGAINST THECOMMANDER OF THE JAIL MAJOR, NANCY EVANS, AS WELL ASLIEUTENANT KASHKA MEADORS.SHE ORDERED THOMAS' WATER TO BETURNED OFF AS A DISCIPLINARYMEASURE AFTERHE FLOODED HISTOILET.THE JURY IS ALSO RECOMMENDINGCHARGES AGAINST FIVE OTHER JAILSTAFFERS.MANY TESTIFIED THEY DIDN'T KNTHOMAS' WATER HAD BEEN SHUT OFF.AGAIN, THE JURY SAYING THEYDIDN'T DO THEIR JOB CHECKING INON THOMAS IN HIS SOLITARYCONFINEMENT CELL.ULTIMATELY, THE DISTRICTATTORNEY WILL HAVE THE FINAL SAYAS TO WHETHER CRIMINAL CHARGESSHOULD BE FILED.I JUST SPOKE TO HIM WITHIN THEHOUR AS WELL AS THE MOTHER OFONE OF THOMAS' CHILDREN. >> AT THE END OF THE DAYKEEPING SOMEBODY SAFE, NOTNEGLECTING THEM, NOTILL-TREATING THEM, THAT'S NOT AVERY HIGH STANDARD.IT'S REALLY NOTAND CORRECTIONAL SYSTEMS AROUNDTHE COUNTRY HAVE FIGURED OUT HOWTO DO THIS.>> WE BELIEVE THIS WAS JUST THEBEGINNING.BECAUSE THAT WAS CRUEL, IT WASINHUMANEIT WAS JUST VERY DISRESPECTFULNICK: CHISHOLM WOULDN'T PUT ATIMETABLE ON HOW LONG HE'LL TAKETO MAKE A DECISION.ONE THING I THOUGHT WASINTERESTING WAS HE DID MEET WITHTHE JURY AFTERWARD TO TALK ABOUTTHE CASE AND ASKED THEM HOW THEYWOULD HAVE DECIDED IF THIS WAS ACASE OF GUILTY OR INNOCENT ONACTUAL CRIMINAL CHARGES.AGAIN, THOSE SEVEN STAFFERS WEMENTIONED HAVEN'T BEEN CHARGED.THIS IS ONLY A RECOMMENDATION OFCHARGES NOW.NICK BOHR, WISN 12 NEWS.

Advertisement Dehydration death: Inquest jury recommends criminal charges against seven jail staffers Advisory ruling comes after final day of testimony in which it was revealed that two other inmates had water to their cells shut off in days after Terrill Thomas died Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Criminal charges should be filed against seven Milwaukee County Jail staffers in connection with the April 2016 dehydration death of inmate Terrill Thomas, an inquest jury said Monday. After hearing testimony for more than a week, the six jurors took just about 90 minutes to reach their decision. There was no defense and prosecutors are not required to follow the jury's advisory verdict. >> Get breaking news alerts with the WISN 12 mobile app The seven officials who may now face charges are jail commander Maj. Nancy Evans, Lt. Kashka Meadors and corrections officers Jordon Johnson, Thomas Laine, James Ramsey-Guy, John Weber and Dominique Smith. Separately, Capt. George Gold, a corrections official who was among those investigated during the inquest, resigned from his post over the weekend, the sheriff's office said in a brief statement on its Facebook page. Monday's ruling came after a final morning of testimony in which it was revealed that two other inmates at the facility had the water to their cells shut off in the days after Thomas died. "This isn't the first time this happened. This is a pattern," Assistant District Attorney Kurt Bentley said. Prosecutors on Monday presented jurors with jail logs showing that both inmates Joseph Benson and Jamie McGee, were deprived of water within a month of Thomas dying after he spent seven days alone in a cell without water, according to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. "How can this happen? How can this happen one week after Mr. Thomas died?" Bentley said, his voice rising as he questioned Brandy Solomon, a shift captain at the Milwaukee County Jail. Jail logs indicate that Solomon ordered the water turned off in the Benson case, but she repeatedly denied it while on the stand. "I was never aware of the water being turned off, period," she said. McGee had his water turned off three weeks after Thomas' death. In both cases it wasn't clear when it was turned back on. Milwaukee's medical examiner concluded five months after Thomas' death that he had died of "profound dehydration" and classified it as a homicide. Sheriff's officials have said Thomas' water was shut off after he stuffed a mattress in a toilet to flood his previous cell. In the subsequent cases, the inmates were both being punished for covering the window to their cells with a blanket and refusing to take it down. Sheriff David Clarke runs the jail, but he has not been the target of the inquest. He has repeatedly declined to comment on Thomas' death aside from highlighting the inmate's criminal record. "This is part of a process. I respect the process. Jury recommendations are just that. The next step in the process is for DA Chisholm to decide if actual charges will be brought forth. There will be no speculation of what will happen until it happens," Clarke said in a statement. Thomas' family has said he was having a mental breakdown when police arrested him April 14, 2016, for shooting a man in front of his parents' house and later firing a gun inside a casino. The Associated Press contributed to this report.