Inmates lawsuits not seen as extending jail invstigation

    McCracken County Jailer Bill Adams and County Attorney Dan Boaz will try to get a date set today for federal investigators to inspect the jail and bring an eight-year investigation to a close.
Adams said he doesn‚t view pending lawsuits over the quality of health care filed by a handful of inmates, including Johnnie Gray, as a hindrance to ending the investigation, which has focused on issues such as medical concerns that Adams said the jail has made strong efforts to correct.
"We‚re spending a lot of money to get them the health care they need," Adams said. "Medications, we have a mental health counselor here to talk to them. ... I would dare anyone to compare that to any (other jail) around here."
Andrew Barrick ˜ an attorney with the special litigation section of the U.S. Department of Justice ˜ told county officials in November that he may visit in early January. However, Adams said the county will likely receive a month‚s notice before the visit, and no such letter has arrived yet.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court include Johnnie Gray. He and his wife, Sandy, were convicted of reckless homicide in the disappearance of their infant daughter, Katie, who they said washed down a swollen Massac Creek in November of 2004.
On Dec. 14, he sued Adams; Kenny Potts, the jail‚s mail supervisor; and Reetha Guminski, a physician‚s assistant. Citing civil rights violations, he is demanding $120,000.
James D. Hopper, charged with robbing the Banterra Bank on Parisa Drive in August of 2005, also claims civil rights violations and is seeking $135,000. He sued Adams; Judy Campbell, the jail‚s criminal social worker; and John Cecil, the jail‚s medical director, in March.
Another inmate, Thomas Taber, filed suit on Sept. 6 against McCracken County, former Jailer Cliff Gill and three unnamed jail workers.
In a letter to the Sun, Hopper wrote, "I find it hard to believe that the agreement in question" between the federal investigators and the jail "can be terminated when at least three civil lawsuits have been filed in the Paducah division of the United States District Court."
However, Adams downplayed the suits, saying they are "a regular occurrence" in jails. "In the corrections‚ world, that‚s their way to get back at the deputies and jail," Adams said. "But they don‚t realize you document stuff