A wrongful death lawsuit is landing in the laps of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Kerrie Merrifield is seeking at least $15,000 in damages, but more than that, she wants answers about why her 63-year-old father went for days without the medical attention he needed at the Duval County Jail, that could have saved his life.
"They had to take him to the hospital, and in the ambulance he had died. And when he got there, he was already brain dead," says Merrifield.
William Merrifield was driving from South Carolina to Florida back in June 2009, to get help with his diabetes from his wife, but he was arrested for driving without a license. Merrifield says her father was disoriented when he was stopped in Jacksonville by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Her lawsuit claims officers failed to give William Merrifield his medication when he needed it, which caused him to go into shock. His daughter says William was later found on the floor of his jail cell. Merrifield was on life support until he died on July 5th.
"Criminal, inhumane, worse than you treat an animal," says Merrifield, describing how her father was treated.
She has piles of documents, but alleges the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has avoided many of her questions or received a very hostile response.
WOKV is awaiting the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office response to the lawsuit.
