Opinion ID: 673674
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts surrounding leitzsey's suicide

Text: 7 Viewed in the light most favorable to Plaintiff Leitzsey, the evidence demonstrates the following. On May 25, 1989, Plaintiff Leitzsey and her sister, Janet Clayton, contacted Detective D. I. Blackwell to express concern about Leitzsey. Plaintiff Leitzsey told Blackwell that Leitzsey was suicidal and that she feared he would harm himself or others. Blackwell told her that the police could become involved only if she filed formal charges against her son. As a result, Plaintiff Leitzsey filed assault charges, reporting that Leitzsey had struck his ten-year-old sister with his fists and had threatened to strike her with a hammer. No mention was made in Plaintiff Leitzsey's arrest warrant affidavit of any suicidal tendencies on the part of her son. 8 On May 27, 1989, Officer Stoudemire arrested Leitzsey on this charge and transported him to the jail for booking. Stoudemire had not had any prior contact with Leitzsey and was unaware of Plaintiff Leitzsey's conversation with Blackwell. During booking, Stoudemire asked Leitzsey a series of questions, including whether he was contemplating suicide. Leitzsey responded in the negative, and Stoudemire found nothing strange about Leitzsey's behavior. Prior to placing Leitzsey in a cell, Stoudemire permitted Leitzsey to place a telephone call to his mother. Stoudemire witnessed Leitzsey's side of the telephone conversation, which was brief and angry. 9 After placing Leitzsey in a cell, Stoudemire was relieved by Officer McFaddin. Between 7:15 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., McFaddin conducted routine inspections of the detainees, including Leitzsey, approximately every 30 minutes. At the end of his shift, McFaddin asked Leitzsey if he wished to place any more telephone calls. Leitzsey expressed a desire to call his mother, but when McFaddin noticed that Leitzsey's mother had initiated the arrest, McFaddin telephoned her to determine whether she wished to speak with her son. After she indicated that she did not, McFaddin relayed this information to Leitzsey. 10 Officer Findley relieved McFaddin at approximately 3:30 p.m. Findley conducted routine inspections of Leitzsey at 3:30, 4:00, and 4:14 p.m. and did not notice any strange behavior on Leitzsey's part. At approximately 4:37 p.m., Findley found Leitzsey hanging by his neck from a bed sheet that was tied to the top of the cell. The way in which the sheet was tied prevented Findley from opening the cell door without cutting the sheet. Findley, however, did not have a knife with him, so he ran for assistance. Findley returned to the cell with Officer Tevepaugh, cut Leitzsey free, and examined him for a pulse. Leitzsey's color was poor; his fingers were a dark blue, purplish color; and his body felt cool to the officers. They concluded that he was dead and did not begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Officer Brown arrived soon thereafter and instructed the two officers not to begin resuscitation. When emergency medical personnel arrived approximately 20 minutes after Leitzsey was discovered, his pupils were fixed and dilated. He was pronounced dead at the scene and was not transported to a hospital. The time of death was estimated by emergency medical personnel as 4:30 p.m. 11 Other evidence presented in opposition to summary judgment indicated that in the months prior to Leitzsey's suicide Cayce officers had responded to several incidents in which Leitzsey had been involved. Tevepaugh and Wall responded to an incident at Leitzsey's home on March 3, 1989 when Leitzsey slashed his wrist with a razor blade; thus, their involvement in this incident provided them with knowledge of Leitzsey's suicidal tendencies. Brown approved the incident report concerning this March 3rd episode.