Rebecca Mansfield is suing former Madison County Jailer Steve Tussey, corrections officers James Hollins and Mikael Burns and members of Madison County EMS. She’s accusing them of wrongful death, gross negligence, negligent training and battery.
Her husband, Johnathan Mansfield, was arrested for public intoxication Sept. 27, 2024.
The lawsuit alleges Hollins and Burns restrained Mansfield to a chair and tased him before placing him in an isolation cell.
That includes 13 times with probe and drive stun tasers and another 27 times with an electric taser glove.
It also alleges Hollins, Burns and other officers “pounced on top of him with a shield” while laying down in his cell, restrained him in a full-body WRAP device similar to a straitjacket, and placed a spit mask over his head.
It also alleges EMS members didn’t medically evaluate Mansfield until around nine minutes after he became unresponsive, and after blood stains appeared around his face.
Mansfield died Oct. 10, 2024 after spending 12 days at UK Hospital. A UK physician, and an internal investigation by the Madison County Police Department, both concluded the use of force caused Mansfield to suffer cardiac arrest.
Hollins had been disciplined multiple times by Madison County Detention Center in the past for excessive force, and was fired after the investigation.
Madison County’s current Jailer Larry Brock declined comment, as the incident happened before he stepped into the position earlier this year.
