The sister of a man who died of dehydration in the Elkhart County jail last year has sued the county and others.
Lawyers for the estate of 39-year-old Thomas Ricke say his condition was declining rapidly when he was transferred from the Marion County jail to Elkhart County’s jail in May of last year. Four days later he was dead.
The suit, filed this week in South Bend federal court, alleges that both jail staffs knew that Ricke had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, he had a history of suicide attempts, and that he was suffering a severe psychotic break. But the suit says they neglected their constitutional duty to give him basic care, and they knew he had stopped drinking water but did nothing about it.
Ricke’s sister Melissa is the plaintiff as personal representative of his estate. She’s represented by Romanucci & Blandin, a Chicago-based law firm specializing in wrongful death cases.
They’re also suing Wellpath, a Tennessee-based for-profit company that both counties contract for inmate health care.
Elkhart County Sheriff Jeff Siegel declined our interview request, while officials with Wellpath did not reply.
