Inmate died from bowel obstruction

I’ll begin by saying I didn’t know Scott.  I’m not even in Alabama—I’m writing this from Seattle, Washington.  I have no dog in this fight, so to speak, except a desire to see justice and the truth be served.

First of all, in leaving out the details that Scott was being treated for schizophrenia and that the “threats” in question were made by phone during an episode, they allowed the phrase “terrorist threats” to stand on its own. The average person reading this, not knowing the full story, will think to themselves that perhaps justice WAS done, that a terrorist died a horrible death—and perhaps even that society is better off for it.  Certainly the story is fishy, obviously there was a failure here on the part of the jailers to obtain medical attention for him, but the average person, given the impression that Scott was a “terrorist,“ would be far less inclined to call for an investigation into his last hours on Earth—regardless of whether that investigation is warranted.  Ask yourselves who you’d care more about: someone who was severely mentally ill and made a bad judgment call during an episode, or someone who was actually seeking to harm American citizens?  It’s not rocket science.

If Scott’s charges were pertinent to the story, would not also his ongoing mental illness—AND treatment—be as well?  What the Eagle has done in this case is about the same as saying someone is a “registered sex offender,“ without mentioning that the “sex crime” was something like getting caught urinating outside a bar because the bathroom line was too long.

Telling half the story is about as useless—and in this case, hurtful—as telling a lie. I’d be the first person to call for the head of an actual terrorist, believe me.  But I don’t believe Scott McCall was a terrorist, and I’m sorry that the Dothan Eagle only chose to tell the facts that portrayed him as one.

As for the investigation, there absolutely should be one.  Had an actual terrorist died at Gitmo from a bowel obstruction, there would have already been six different agencies down there causing the biggest ruckus since Lynndie England made a detainee wear his underwear on his head.

Having had a child sick with bowel obstruction in the past, I too know that this is not something that could have happened suddenly—this man had to be in SEVERE pain over the span of several days possibly a week, before it could have gotten to this point…the law enforcement agency should be investigated over this as this is tragic and what is sickening—is this backward system we have puts child molesters back on the street on bond to hurt other children (as was seen in Dale county recently) and then rather than send a mentally ill person where he can get help, they stow him away and apparently let him suffer unto death—this is horrific, there is no way this was something that “suddenly” happened—this is terrible.

I too question how this prisoner could have died what is typically an excruciating death without having screamed out or requested some sort of help.  I too think that there should be an investigation into the circumstances.  I don’t question that he died of a bowel obstruction if the autopsy has shown that, but that he could have been saved possibly if he had been given medical attention earlier if he had asked for it.

This goes directly to the sheriffs department, not SAMC. As one who has experienced multiple bowel obstructions caused by a gastrointestinal disease, they didn,t suddenly find him unresponsive. It is severe and excruciating pain and I am certain the inmate was not simply “found in a praying position”, no way.Trust me, this inmate was loud and vocal with a bowel obstruction.

This situation needs an outside investigation. The information that has been released by the department does not add up.

Why did SAMC drop the ball here? This sounds like shoddy medical care. Pain in that area could be appendicitis; investigation would have revealed the bowel obstruction. There was no need for this man to die. This is a black eye for SAMC.