A Grand Jury in Knox County has determined a deputy, whose use of force resulted in the death of an inmate, will not face charges.
“It was a tragedy,” Knox County Prosecutor, Chip McConville said. “It simply was and it will remain that way, but what the grand jury determined today was that it was not a criminal act.”
McConville says the take-down in the Knox County Jail, which shows Deputy Chase Wright throwing 33-year-old David Dehmann to the ground back in April, was justified, according to the grand jury.
“We are looking at the evidence and the grand jury got a full view of the evidence today,” McConville said.
The decision comes after a thorough investigation, spearheaded by the state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation. McConville says the evidence consisted of four-and-a-half hours of testimony from all witnesses at the county jail and a tour of the facility. Also, there were hundreds of pages of documentation.
“They went through hundreds of pages of medical records and hundreds of pages of behavioral health records in preparing their report,” he said.
Records that McConville says contradicts claims that Dehmann had an autism diagnosis, which could have affected his perceptions of jail staff behavior. The report also says Dehmann was highly intoxicated and taking prescribed blood thinners – making him more susceptible to bleeding from injuries. Also, McConville says the take-down seen in the video might not be what killed Dehmann.
“There were a number of possible falls that Mr. Dehmann took that day and based on that – any one of them could have been the cause of the injury.”
10TV talked to the family of Dehmann, Thursday. They say they cannot talk to media because of legal reasons. When asked if the family is filing suit against the county, Dehmann’s step-mother Melissa said “I’m not allowed to say.”