BODY FLOATING CLOSE TO SHORE AROUND 2.30 THIS MORNING. FAMILY HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.
>> IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH THE I TEAM SHERIFF TK
WATERS SAID TODAY JSO IS
REVIEWING ITS CONTRACT WITH
THE COMPANY THAT PROVIDES
HEALTH CARE TO DUVAL COUNTY
INMATES. HE SAID HE DIDN’T
KNOW ABOUT THE COMPANY’S PAST
CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS UNTIL
THEY WERE EXPOSED BY THE I
TEAM IN RECENT DAYS.
>> WE THANK YOU I FOUND OUT
FROM YOU YOUR STORY.
>> I TEAM INVESTIGATOR IN
MAXWELL’S JOINING US NOW LIVE.
SO THE SHERIFF TOLD YOU
CAMPAIGN DONATIONS HE RECEIVED
FROM ARMOR CORRECTIONAL HEALTH
SERVICES EXECUTIVES WON’T
AFFECT HIS JUDGMENT WHEN IT
COMES TO THIS COMPANY’S
FUTURE. HERE IN JACKSONVILLE.
>> THAT’S RIGHT, TARIK. HE
SAYS HE’S GOT A BIG DECISION
TO MAKE WHEN IT COMES TO ARMOR
HEALTH HERE AT THE DUVAL
COUNTY JAIL. HE SAYS HE FEELS
COMFORTABLE MAKING IT IN THE
MEANTIME, JSO AS WELL AS
ATTORNEYS FOR THE CITY OF
JACKSONVILLE ARE CONTINUING TO
REVIEW THE LOCAL CONTRACT WITH
ARMOR.
>> FOR THE FIRST TIME SHERIFF
TK WATERS IS SPEAKING PUBLICLY
ABOUT THE DEATH OF FORMER
DUVAL COUNTY INMATE, DEXTER
BERRY AND THE FALLOUT THAT’S
FOLLOWED. I MEAN, YOU’VE GOT
RELEASED AND UNFORTUNATELY HE
LOST HIS LIFE. ALL THAT STUFF
STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION VERY
WAS A 54 YEAR-OLD HEART
TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT. HE WAS
ARRESTED ON A CHARGE OF SIMPLE
ASSAULT IN NOVEMBER, ACCUSED
OF VERBALLY THREATENING HIS
NEIGHBOR, VERY TOOK MEDICATION
TO KEEP HIS BODY FROM
ATTACKING HIS TRANSPLANTED
HEART. MISTER DOLE SAYS, BUT
JAIL MEDICAL RECORDS PROVIDED
BY AN ATTORNEY FOR BERRY’S
FAMILY SHOW. HE NEVER RECEIVED
HIM DURING THE WEEKEND. HE
SPENT IN THE DUVAL COUNTY
JAIL. HE DIED JUST A FEW DAYS
AFTER BEING RELEASED. AN
AUTOPSY COMMISSIONED BY HIS
FAMILY SAYS THE TRANSPLANTED
HEART SHOWED SEVERE AUTOIMMUNE
REACTION. THE DOCTOR
PERFORMING THE AUTOPSY WROTE
THEY DIDN’T FEEL QUALIFIED TO
SPECULATE ON THE EFFECT OF
BARRY MISSING HIS
ANTI-REJECTION MEDICATION
DOSES. THEY ALSO WROTE THE
CAUSE OF DEATH WAS CARDIAC
ARREST. MOST PROBABLY DUE TO A
SEVERE AUTOIMMUNE REACTION TO
HIS HEART. THE COMPANY
CONTRACTED TO PROVIDE HEALTH
CARE TO LOCAL INMATES LIKE
BARRY IS NOW UNDER SCRUTINY. A
JURY FOUND ARMOR CORRECTIONAL
HEALTH SERVICES GUILTY IN
OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR. A
WISCONSIN JURY CONVICTED ARMOR
CORRECTIONAL HEALTH SERVICES
OF 7 COUNTS OF INTENTIONALLY
FALSIFYING HEALTH CARE RECORDS
AND ONE COUNT OF ABUSE OR
NEGLECT OF AN INMATE, A
FELONY. ACCORDING TO LOCAL
NEWS REPORTS, AN INMATE AT THE
JAIL THERE DIED OF DEHYDRATION
AFTER THE WATER IN HIS CELL
WAS CUT OFF FOR A WEEK AND
JAIL STAFF ALTERED RECORDS TO
COVER IT UP 2 WEEKS AFTER THE
JURY RETURNED GUILTY VERDICTS
AGAINST ARMOR, THE COMPANY
ENTERED AND 98 MILLION DOLLAR
5 YEAR CONTRACT WITH THE
JACKSONVILLE SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
BUT IN THE DOCUMENT
REPRESENTATIVES, PARTNERS AND
STAFF DO NOT HAVE ANY PENDING
CRIMINAL CHARGES OR FELONY
CONVICTIONS. YEAH, WE’RE YOUNG
EVERYTHING. I THIS HAS BEEN A
CONSTANT TOOK OFFICE NOVEMBER.
SHERIFF WATERS NOTES THE
CONTRACT WITH ARMOR WAS SIGNED
BEFORE HE TOOK OFFICE BUT SAID
HE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE
CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS UNTIL
RECENTLY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE
DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TIME. THE I
TEAM PREVIOUSLY REPORTED 7
ARMOR EXECUTIVES DONATED
$7,000 TO WATERS CAMPAIGN THE
WEEK BEFORE HE WAS ELECTED. IT
WAS ALSO JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER
ARMOUR’S NEW CONTRACT WAS
SIGNED. A SPOKESPERSON FOR
ARMOR SAID INDIVIDUAL
POLITICAL DONATIONS ARE
PERSONAL DECISIONS. NOT A
COMPANY MATTER. WATER SAID THE
I TEAM’S REPORTING WAS A
LITTLE BIT MISLEADING. I GOT
DONATIONS FROM THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE IN THE HUNDREDS 100’S
OF PEOPLE OVER 2 MILLION
DOLLARS WORTH OF DONATIONS.
>> YOU DON’T KNOW WHEN YOU GET
IN FROM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
ARMOR, KEEPING THEIR SERVICES
OR ANYTHING ELSE LIKE THAT. WE
ASKED WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF JSO
OR THE CITY FINDS ARMOR MISLED
THEM IN THEIR CONTRACT OR IF
THE STATE BANS ARMOR FROM
GOVERNMENT WORK DUE TO THEIR
CONVICTIONS, WHICH IS THE
POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF AN
INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY NOW
DYNAMIC IN PLACE. WE HAVE A
NUKE. WE HAVE A NEW MAYOR
TAKING OVER AS YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE A NEW CAR ALL COUNCIL
TAKING OVER, AS YOU KNOW. SO
ALL THOSE DISCUSSIONS HAVE TO
TAKE PLACE. THERE’S A LOT MORE
THAN THAN THAN JUST ME AND
BEING INVOLVED IN THIS. BUT HE
SAID HE DOES ACKNOWLEDGE THE
BIG RESPONSIBILITY FACING HIM
WHEN IT COMES TO ARMOUR’S
FUTURE IN JACKSONVILLE. THE
SHERIFF SAID WHEN HE MAKES A
DECISION HE WILL LET US KNOW.
>> ARMOR IS APPEALING HIS
CONVICTIONS AND WISCONSIN.
THEY ALSO CLAIM THAT FORMER
INMATE BARRY’S DEATH WASN’T
CAUSED BY THE LACK OF THAT
ANTI-REJECTION MEDICATION HERE
AT THE JAIL LAST NIGHT. THEY
TOLD US FOR THE FIRST TIME
THAT THAT MEDICATION WAS
ORDERED FOR BARRY AT THE JAIL.
BUT HE WAS RELEASED BEFORE IT
WAS AVAILABLE. REPORTING LIVE