11-18-2009 Indiana:Sheriff: Man stuffed food in his mouth, fell out of chair and hit head
After a 65-year-old man diagnosed with depression and paranoid schizophrenia died at the Michael L. Becher Adult Corrections Complex on Friday, questions are being asked about whether jail was the right place for him.
Preston Shaw had been charged with sexual battery, as a class D felony, for allegedly molesting a severely disabled woman at Hillcrest Centre for Health and Rehabilitation in Jeffersonville in March. Shaw initially was found competent to stand trial by Circuit Court Judge Dan Moore, and then following a mental health evaluation, he was declared incompetent for a proceeding and was transported to Evansville State Hospital. He was returned to jail late last month after mental health officials determined he had improved enough to stand trial.
Rodden said Shaw was on 24-hour surveillance, and he was allowed to watch television in the holding area. That is where he was when he reportedly fell out of his wheelchair and landed face down on top of his dinner tray.
“He shoved a peanut butter sandwich in his mouth, and then he fell over and hit his head,” Rodden said.
