Worker fought for justice after inmate died in frigid cell — and was fired, suit says

A worker advocated for better conditions at an Alabama jail where an inmate died of hypothermia, then she was fired for speaking out, according to a lawsuit.

Kayse Brown’s employer had a contract with the Walker County Jail when she began calling for justice for Tony Mitchell, who was medically neglected at the jail until he froze to death, according to a lawsuit filed July 24 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

The lawsuit names Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith, investigator Carl Carpenter and jail administrator Justin White.

Brown accuses the county officials of violating her First Amendment rights by coercing her boss into firing her after she criticized the treatment of Mitchell and other inmates at the jail.

McClatchy News couldn’t reach the sheriff’s office for comment Aug. 6. The attorney representing the same defendants in a separate lawsuit didn’t have enough information to comment.

Inmate’s death

In January 2023, 33-year-old Anthony “Tony” Mitchell was being held as a pretrial detainee at Walker County Jail when he was locked in a freezing jail cell and denied medical care, McClatchy News reported.

By the time he was taken to a hospital with a body temperature of 72 degrees, it was too late.

The medical examiner determined he died from hypothermia and “sepsis resulting from infected injuries obtained during incarceration and medical neglect,” according to his death certificate.

His death was ruled a homicide.

One officer agreed to plead guilty in his death amid ongoing civil and criminal proceedings, according to July 31 court records obtained by McClatchy News.

‘Be careful’

Mitchell’s death outraged his family and community members, including Brown. She founded a group called Justice for Tony Mitchell, which has nearly 5,000 member on Facebook, with the intention of advocating “for transparency and better conditions in the Walker County Jail,” according to the lawsuit.

Brown participated in protests and vigils following Mitchell’s death, and she reposted Facebook messages that scrutinized how the sheriff’s office treated inmates, the lawsuit says.

In March 2024, Carl Carpenter with the sheriff’s office sent a message to Brown’s boss, including the Facebook posts that she had shared, and wanted to schedule a meeting about her, according to the lawsuit.

Brown’s boss met with the sheriff’s office and told Brown after the meeting that she needed to “be careful,” the lawsuit says. The sheriff’s office said it had “gotten really hard to separate” Brown’s advocacy from the organization’s work, and warned that “bridges aren’t burned, but they seem to be smoldering,” according to the lawsuit.

Brown said jail administrator Justin White also reached out to her employer about her advocacy.

Brown’s boss told her that her actions were “jeopardizing” the organization’s ability to help others, and Brown said she felt like the county officials were “trying to make her lose her job because she had been protesting and advocating for Mitchell.”

Her boss said that appeared to be the “reality of it.”

Brown said she didn’t violate any of her employer’s policies, as the organization had no rules regarding social media. Her actions were constitutionally protected, according to the lawsuit.

But on May 8, Brown said she was fired because of a complaint from the “partner community.”

Brown accuses the defendants of violating her First Amendment rights, tortious interference, violating the Alabama constitution and wantonness. She’s seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

Walker County is about a 45-mile drive northwest from Birmingham.

This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 11:18 AM with the headline "Worker fought for justice after inmate died in frigid cell — and was fired, suit says."