Man loses half his skull after jailers withhold antibiotics for sinus infection

Local county jail gave him Ibuprofren instead

A metro mother said an untreated sinus infection led to her son having half of his skull removed. The family blames a local jail.

“He asked for medical attention and they gave him ibuprofen. I knew he needed antibiotics, I knew he needed medical treatment and he wasn’t getting it,” said Valentine.

She said that infection spread and now, half of his skull had to be removed.

This mother said she made repeated attempts to get him help.

“He didn’t ask for this. All he needed was antibiotics, that’s all he needed,” she said.

“It was almost a death sentence for him,” said one of the family’s attorneys, Brian Buswell with Legal OKC. “We didn’t think he was going to live through the night, it was bad really bad.”

Robby does have a criminal past and multiple arrests, but his other attorney said his medical care is a civil rights issue, not a criminal matter.

“The county, the jail needs to provide that. If that’s not happening then it’s something that needs to be addressed.”

I have limited experience with this myself. My daughter is autistic and spent 2 weeks in a county jail. She takes behavioral medication, but more importantly seizure medication for seizures. While there the nurses refused to give her the seizure medication because the "jail doctor didn't prescribe it." I hadn't realized he was a neurologist. The warden said the doctor didn't need to prescribe it. As long as her doctor prescribed it and you had notice from the pharmacy she was receiving this medicine, she could take it. Nope, more run around. After 2 weeks of this crap, I gave up. My daughter had a $1000 no cash bond. With the warden's blessing I just bonded her out and gave my daughter her medication myself! I'll be darned if you guys kill my kid on your watch because of your ignorance. These people are downright morons half the time, and cruel the other half.

originally posted by: Anyafaj
Local county jail gave him Ibuprofren instead

A metro mother said an untreated sinus infection led to her son having half of his skull removed. The family blames a local jail.

“He asked for medical attention and they gave him ibuprofen. I knew he needed antibiotics, I knew he needed medical treatment and he wasn’t getting it,” said Valentine.

She said that infection spread and now, half of his skull had to be removed.

This mother said she made repeated attempts to get him help.

“He didn’t ask for this. All he needed was antibiotics, that’s all he needed,” she said.

“It was almost a death sentence for him,” said one of the family’s attorneys, Brian Buswell with Legal OKC. “We didn’t think he was going to live through the night, it was bad really bad.”

Robby does have a criminal past and multiple arrests, but his other attorney said his medical care is a civil rights issue, not a criminal matter.

“The county, the jail needs to provide that. If that’s not happening then it’s something that needs to be addressed.”

I have limited experience with this myself. My daughter is autistic and spent 2 weeks in a county jail. She takes behavioral medication, but more importantly seizure medication for seizures. While there the nurses refused to give her the seizure medication because the "jail doctor didn't prescribe it." I hadn't realized he was a neurologist. The warden said the doctor didn't need to prescribe it. As long as her doctor prescribed it and you had notice from the pharmacy she was receiving this medicine, she could take it. Nope, more run around. After 2 weeks of this crap, I gave up. My daughter had a $1000 no cash bond. With the warden's blessing I just bonded her out and gave my daughter her medication myself! I'll be darned if you guys kill my kid on your watch because of your ignorance. These people are downright morons half the time, and cruel the other half.

You forgot sadistic most of the time.

Like pepper spraying restrained prisoners, or bashing drunken women's skulls off of steel benches, or taking unruly outspoken types to areas without cameras so they can " fall down" until they reach a coma state.....etc....

The police are out of control, as well as all gov agencies.

They do what they want law be damned...up to and including defendants not even getting a public defender...sorry too back logged, not having a lawyer at all is still no defense.

This is that NLBS you keep hearing about.

a reply to: Anyafaj

Years ago a dear friend of mine died in prison. He had pneumonia and the prison doctor prescribed antibiotics but the guards refused to give them to him. During his autopsy they found not a hint of antibiotics- only green peas, the only thing he had been able to eat for his last week of life as he slowly drowned in his own fluids. His elderly mother was heartbroken and never recovered, dying within a few years herself since she was severely depressed and stopped taking care of herself. It was very sad.

originally posted by: Anyafaj
While there the nurses refused to give her the seizure medication because the "jail doctor didn't prescribe it." I hadn't realized he was a neurologist.

The funny thing is, I went to the city jail for 2 weeks (5 years ago) and the Jail Doctor ironically happened to be my primary Doctor that was prescribing me anxiety medication at the time. Regardless of this, even though my medication was brought to the jail by a parent, and that the jail doctor had prescribed it to me (outside of jail), they wouldn't give me any of it. The smart-ass nurse who thought she was hot & tough # explained to me that despite my fears, the medicine I was on being discontinued would not cause seizures, only certain related medicines would. I knew for a fact she was incorrect and talking out of her ass.

Main reason given was that it'd be "unfair" to allow me my "controlled substance" medication around the other inmates. A lawyer later told me this was all BS and that he personally had clients in the jail on even tighter scheduled medications than mine.

It was personal proof of a truth I've held ever since; that many general practitioner doctors prescribe all sorts of garbage that they don't truly think you need. It's just appeasement and a pay check. They'll also throw you under the bus at the first opportunity.

At 5 days in I was due for a standard "meet the doctor/medical" check-up, and I asked the nurse if I had to go. She said no, it wasn't mandatory. I politely told her that I thought I was fine and didn't need to go. No mention of a punishment was said, however, that night when I was normally supposed to get a standard 'sleep aid' antihistamine pill that they'd give to those who needed them, they told me that I could no longer receive any "treatment" of any kind. Lol.

I suffered greatly. They honestly do not care, and will only interfere to give you medical attention if they find you unresponsive or in the middle of a seizure. I saw one man have a seizure in booking, and all they did was put him on the ground and hold him down so he wouldn't hurt himself. Once he came to, they just carried on like nothing had happened.

Point being, the jails aren't designed for middle class or upper class folks who have been put on strong medications that they might not even truly need but are physically dependent on. It's not designed for people with mental issues, even though almost everyone that ends up there has them.

After I got out of there, I had 2 weeks of not using that medication under my belt, and I never started taking it again and never saw that doctor again. It took quite a few months for my system to go back to almost normal (lots of sleepless nights, shaking, tremors, etc).

I don't plan on going back to jail again, but if I ever do, I will be healthy and not on any type of addictive substance (medication). I'll actually be able to rest and have my wits about me.

originally posted by: GeauxHomeYoureDrunk
a reply to: Anyafaj

Years ago a dear friend of mine died in prison. He had pneumonia and the prison doctor prescribed antibiotics but the guards refused to give them to him. During his autopsy they found not a hint of antibiotics- only green peas, the only thing he had been able to eat for his last week of life as he slowly drowned in his own fluids. His elderly mother was heartbroken and never recovered, dying within a few years herself since she was severely depressed and stopped taking care of herself. It was very sad.

I'm very sorry for your loss.



There are no words adequate enough to express that fully.

originally posted by: r0xor

originally posted by: Anyafaj
While there the nurses refused to give her the seizure medication because the "jail doctor didn't prescribe it." I hadn't realized he was a neurologist.

The funny thing is, I went to the city jail for 2 weeks (5 years ago) and the Jail Doctor ironically happened to be my primary Doctor that was prescribing me anxiety medication at the time. Regardless of this, even though my medication was brought to the jail by a parent, and that the jail doctor had prescribed it to me (outside of jail), they wouldn't give me any of it. The smart-ass nurse who thought she was hot & tough # explained to me that despite my fears, the medicine I was on being discontinued would not cause seizures, only certain related medicines would. I knew for a fact she was incorrect and talking out of her ass.

Main reason given was that it'd be "unfair" to allow me my "controlled substance" medication around the other inmates. A lawyer later told me this was all BS and that he personally had clients in the jail on even tighter scheduled medications than mine.

It was personal proof of a truth I've held ever since; that many general practitioner doctors prescribe all sorts of garbage that they don't truly think you need. It's just appeasement and a pay check. They'll also throw you under the bus at the first opportunity.

At 5 days in I was due for a standard "meet the doctor/medical" check-up, and I asked the nurse if I had to go. She said no, it wasn't mandatory. I politely told her that I thought I was fine and didn't need to go. No mention of a punishment was said, however, that night when I was normally supposed to get a standard 'sleep aid' antihistamine pill that they'd give to those who needed them, they told me that I could no longer receive any "treatment" of any kind. Lol.

I suffered greatly. They honestly do not care, and will only interfere to give you medical attention if they find you unresponsive or in the middle of a seizure. I saw one man have a seizure in booking, and all they did was put him on the ground and hold him down so he wouldn't hurt himself. Once he came to, they just carried on like nothing had happened.

Point being, the jails aren't designed for middle class or upper class folks who have been put on strong medications that they might not even truly need but are physically dependent on. It's not designed for people with mental issues, even though almost everyone that ends up there has them.

After I got out of there, I had 2 weeks of not using that medication under my belt, and I never started taking it again and never saw that doctor again. It took quite a few months for my system to go back to almost normal (lots of sleepless nights, shaking, tremors, etc).

I don't plan on going back to jail again, but if I ever do, I will be healthy and not on any type of addictive substance (medication). I'll actually be able to rest and have my wits about me.

I'm glad you were able to get off your meds, sorry it was in such a cruel and crappy way though. With my daughter having seizures, a lot of people don't realize, with every seizure, the brain loses cell activity. So in essence, it dies a little. With her already having moderate retardation from oxygen loss at birth and missing part of her brain from it never forming during fetal development, I knew she couldn't afford to lose any more of her brain cell. She quite literally needed what small amount she had. To with hold seizure medication for her, is honestly, a death sentence. And considering she was only in there for assault and was just awaiting trial, and hadn't even been convicted yet, I think all would agree death is a bit much for assault. A simple assault (her charge), at that. The warden was very kind with the issue though and had no problem with me bonding her out. When it came time to her going to court and answering her charges she was so scared to go, she refused. I went to court ahead of her while my sister stayed behind to try and explain to her that she was going to be ok, she didn't have to go back. As my sister was leaving with her to take her to court she passed a couple of sheriff cars on their way to go pick my daughter up. Talk about cutting it close! (She was 16 but operated on a 8-12 yr old mentality then)

Typical bullsh@t from your local jailers. Who have no experience with making Medical desicions. I sure wouldnt want someone that works in a jail, to be telling me what meds i can and cannot take. Some of these people, Most of these people are not bad, they just ended up on the wrong side of the law, and then they get treated as if they killed someone. My brother just got out of jail, for what, because he forgot to renew his liscense. What blew me away, though was that the cop already knew his name, that he had a twin brother, and everything, All from running a lisence plate. Hmmmm something weird there too

a reply to: Anyafaj

I've got a co worker who was recently put in the drunk tank for public intoxication, something that can happen to anyone.

Anyways during his stay he was refused bathroom facilities forcing him to pee in the corner of his cell (they were most likely hoping he'd pee his pants), he was never told why he was being held and was held for over 12 hours without any charges or summons being issued.

originally posted by: Anyafaj
With her already having moderate retardation from oxygen loss at birth and missing part of her brain from it never forming during fetal development, I knew she couldn't afford to lose any more of her brain cell. She quite literally needed what small amount she had. To with hold seizure medication for her, is honestly, a death sentence. And considering she was only in there for assault and was just awaiting trial, and hadn't even been convicted yet, I think all would agree death is a bit much for assault. A simple assault (her charge), at that. The warden was very kind with the issue though and had no problem with me bonding her out.

That's terrible, she was much worse off than I. There's no way to get the jailers to be fair, the only recourse is having a lot of money and a passion for going after people who've mistreated you/others. Then you can hire a lawyer and take the allegations to court. The jailers really don't like that, but it happens so little, they don't let it stop them.

originally posted by: threeeyesopen
Anyways during his stay he was refused bathroom facilities forcing him to pee in the corner of his cell (they were most likely hoping he'd pee his pants), he was never told why he was being held and was held for over 12 hours without any charges or summons being issued.

Yeah, pretty standard. The drunk tank is usually in the first big booking cell because they usually don't have individual cells available for each drunk tank person staying for less than 24hrs. In my city, there's no toilet in that holding cell, and you have to beg during off-peak hours to get them to take you 10 feet across the room to the other holding cell, usually for women, that has a toilet. I've used it only because there were no women currently there otherwise you'd have to use the bathroom in the holding cell on the floor, at the risk of being beaten by the other people in the cell.

originally posted by: r0xor

originally posted by: Anyafaj
With her already having moderate retardation from oxygen loss at birth and missing part of her brain from it never forming during fetal development, I knew she couldn't afford to lose any more of her brain cell. She quite literally needed what small amount she had. To with hold seizure medication for her, is honestly, a death sentence. And considering she was only in there for assault and was just awaiting trial, and hadn't even been convicted yet, I think all would agree death is a bit much for assault. A simple assault (her charge), at that. The warden was very kind with the issue though and had no problem with me bonding her out.

That's terrible, she was much worse off than I. There's no way to get the jailers to be fair, the only recourse is having a lot of money and a passion for going after people who've mistreated you/others. Then you can hire a lawyer and take the allegations to court. The jailers really don't like that, but it happens so little, they don't let it stop them.

I was blessed in that the warden understood the situation, but you know the jail is messed up when even his own employees are not following the rules. Or are nurses a "private contractor"? I don't know.

a reply to: Anyafaj

The irony is that the nurses answer to the doctor, and the warden cannot force the doctor (or the nurses) to do anything that they do not want to do. They are autonomous in that sense.

The mistreatment I think comes in when the deputies and the staff's patience wears thin over time. Many of them admit that they hate their job right to your face, and that they're doing it because of a lack of a better opportunity. They BS with the prisoners and talk #, and even know some of the prisoners from growing up.

I remember it took 48 hours of asking for a Bible just to get half of one, lol (New Testament). They'd keep telling me that the book cart comes once a week on such and such day. I think the deputy that gave it to me was Jewish, lol.

I remember so many insignificant details because it was so traumatic (at the time).

a reply to: Anyafaj

Is anyone really surprised?

Anyone who has been in one of our amazing rehabilitation facilities knows that while your there you have to live under constant threat of violence from both the inmates and the guards.

Essentially its a war zone and people leave with more problems then they went in with.

The whole system is totally worthless, out dated, and doesnt work.

a reply to: threeeyesopen

Yeah they dont have to follow the rules the blue shield will protect them and the prosecution will never do anything.

Check into how many lawsuits are won in civil cases against police.

Police departments in the US have more open federal investigations then any other organization in this country.

Think about that, and i heard that from a good source.

originally posted by: r0xor
a reply to: Anyafaj

The irony is that the nurses answer to the doctor, and the warden cannot force the doctor (or the nurses) to do anything that they do not want to do. They are autonomous in that sense.

The mistreatment I think comes in when the deputies and the staff's patience wears thin over time. Many of them admit that they hate their job right to your face, and that they're doing it because of a lack of a better opportunity. They BS with the prisoners and talk #, and even know some of the prisoners from growing up.

I remember it took 48 hours of asking for a Bible just to get half of one, lol (New Testament). They'd keep telling me that the book cart comes once a week on such and such day. I think the deputy that gave it to me was Jewish, lol.

I remember so many insignificant details because it was so traumatic (at the time).

Because of her being off of Risperdone, thanks to them, she started her cycle for the first time. She had no CLUE what was going on, no idea how to put a pad on. Nothing! The nurses refused to show her. "Not my job." The jailers refused to show her. "Not my job." I couldn't exactly go into the jail and show her as her main caregiver. You know her showed her? The female prisoners. Ridiculous!

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: threeeyesopen

Yeah they dont have to follow the rules the blue shield will protect them and the prosecution will never do anything.

Check into how many lawsuits are won in civil cases against police.

Police departments in the US have more open federal investigations then any other organization in this country.

Think about that, and i heard that from a good source.

That was why I bonded her out. I'll be ragged if they're going to kill my kid and make her another lawsuit! Her case finally cam before the court 3 months later. Can you imagine a seizure patient going 3 months WITHOUT seizure medications? Yeah, I wasn't about to let that happen. She was in jail for simple assault against ME. The police put her in jail to "teach her a lesson". 16 yr old with the brain of an 8 yr old isn't going to learn anything in jail and the court appointed psychiatrist stated as such. That's why her case was dropped until "she can understand the charges at a later date when they can refiled." During that 3 months of her being home and bonded out, she continued to assault me because she was upset her dad had left us and refused to contact her because he was mad at me. She didn't have the brain capacity to understand what was going on. She told the psych nurse at the ER one night, "Children sometimes hit their mommies to make their daddies come home." Yeah, put her in jail and teach her a lesson instead of giving her psychiatric care to help her understand this wasn't the answer.

a reply to: Anyafaj

jail has never helped anyone ever.

We use it for any excuse we can to scare people into complying with bull# laws.

originally posted by: Anyafaj
Because of her being off of Risperdone, thanks to them, she started her cycle for the first time. She had no CLUE what was going on, no idea how to put a pad on. Nothing! The nurses refused to show her. "Not my job." The jailers refused to show her. "Not my job." I couldn't exactly go into the jail and show her as her main caregiver. You know her showed her? The female prisoners. Ridiculous!

Your best friends in there are other prisoners, and your worst enemies are also other prisoners. There's a level of 'basic law' in there among prisoners, and if you do not cross those lines and do not offend anyone or annoy anyone, people will look out for you a bit. I never remained friends outside of jail with anyone I befriended during my 2 weeks in jail or my 30 days afterward split along 13 weekends of time (that was fun to look forward to on Friday evenings). I do remember a few of them quite clearly though, and wish them the best.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: Anyafaj

jail has never helped anyone ever.

We use it for any excuse we can to scare people into complying with bull# laws.

It helped me get off of bad medicine, LMFAO

Ok, ok, sorry.. had to go there.

originally posted by: r0xor

originally posted by: Anyafaj
Because of her being off of Risperdone, thanks to them, she started her cycle for the first time. She had no CLUE what was going on, no idea how to put a pad on. Nothing! The nurses refused to show her. "Not my job." The jailers refused to show her. "Not my job." I couldn't exactly go into the jail and show her as her main caregiver. You know her showed her? The female prisoners. Ridiculous!

Your best friends in there are other prisoners, and your worst enemies are also other prisoners. There's a level of 'basic law' in there among prisoners, and if you do not cross those lines and do not offend anyone or annoy anyone, people will look out for you a bit. I never remained friends outside of jail with anyone I befriended during my 2 weeks in jail or my 30 days afterward split along 13 weekends of time (that was fun to look forward to on Friday evenings). I do remember a few of them quite clearly though, and wish them the best.

Most of the women in there were mothers, so once they saw how she was and that she was essentially a child trapped in an almost adult body, they became her protector. I was very grateful to them. I even had some talk to me during my phone visits with her to let me know she was ok. It truly helped. I could only talk to her through a computer screen and a phone and it was very rough. I had never been separated from her before. Ever. She even had a very rough go of it. She told me later she cried every night to come home and she wanted me. She spent the night in my bed every night after that afraid she'd never see me again. Broke my heart as a parent.