Diane Watts
A Richmond man died earlier this month after authorities at the Madison County Detention Center sent him to the hospital, and the NAACP is calling for a thorough investigation.
Dion Watts, 42, a father of six, died Jan. 6 at the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
The next day, the Richmond-Madison County branch of the NAACP released a statement saying “she died after suffering severe injuries while in custody at the Madison County Detention Center.”
A Richmond Police Department official, according to a police uniform citation filed in Madison District Court, said Watts suffered a broken knee and was taken to UK Hospital at 12:19 a.m. Jan. 2 after an “altercation” involving officers at the detention center.
According to the quote, a Richmond police officer R. Haddix was leaving the jail when a deputy jailer told Watts he needed to speak with Haddix.
Haddix told Watts they would talk after the officer got some things from the police cruiser.
As Haddix was opening the door to return to the jail, Haddix wrote in the citation that “Watt started yelling and closed the door.”
As Watts closed the door, Haddix said staff inside the detention center opened a nearby garage door, and while opening the door, the officer saw Watts and Deputy Jailer Mark Murphy “in a physical altercation against the wall.”
Haddix wrote that “Murphy took Watts to the ground.”
“While Murphy and Watts were on the ground, I began assisting Murphy to gain control of Watts, who physically resisted both of us,” Haddix wrote in the citation.
“During the altercation,” Haddix wrote, “Watts attempted to remove several items from my duty vest.”
Haddix said Watts pulled his weapons away from the officers and “tried to tuck them under his body.”
“During the fight, I landed several knees to the back of Watts and a heel palm to the face in an attempt to gain control,” Haddix wrote.
Several other officers soon arrived “and assisted in handcuffing and restraining Watts,” Haddix wrote.
The citation shows six body-worn cameras were at the scene.
In addition to Watts’ dismemberment, Haddix suffered a cut on her left ring finger and Murphy suffered a cut on her right hand, the citation said.
“Dion Watts was cited and released at the University of Kentucky Hospital receiving medical treatment for a broken leg and other medical reasons,” the citation said.
Watts was charged Jan. 2 with resisting arrest and two counts of third-degree assault of a police or probation officer, according to court records.
The NAACP said in a statement that Watts “has a documented history of mental illness.”
The statement said he “suffered injuries after a physical incident while in detention and later died of those injuries. Any death resulting from injuries sustained in custody raises serious concerns about the use of force, the duty of care to persons in custody, and the treatment of those with mental health needs.”
“The NAACP calls for a full, independent, and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident, including the actions of the officers involved, the use-of-force protocols employed, and the timeliness and adequacy of medical and mental health services.
“NAACP Richmond-Madison County Branch Stands with Family in Search for Answers, Accountability and Justice.”
None of the documents reviewed by the Herald-Leader indicated Watts’ cause of death.
WKYT reported Madison County Jailer Larry Brock told the station, “There is no evidence that Mr. Watts was beaten or otherwise abused during the incident.”
Before the altercation, Brock said, Watts appeared to be suffering from paranoia and suggested the officers intended to hurt him. Brock told the television station that prison staff tried to defuse the situation, but Watts was uncooperative.
Brock told the station an internal review of the incident is underway.
Richmond Mayor Robert Blythe told Fox 56 in a statement Friday that Kentucky State Police are investigating the circumstances of Watts’ death and that “any action taken by the city will be guided by the findings of the investigation.”
“Our community mourns the loss of a family member and friend,” Blythe told the television station.
Watts was arrested and charged with third-degree criminal trespass at 11:19 p.m. Dec. 31 after an employee at Ready Mart on Second Street in Richmond closed the store and called police after Watts refused to leave, court records state.
A Richmond Police Department officer wrote in a police uniform citation filed in the case that Watts was asked to leave several times, and the officer offered Watts a ride to a friend’s house or somewhere else, but Watts said he had nowhere to go and “he’d rather go to jail.”
Madison District Court records show he was released the next day, Jan. 1. A document lists the release time as 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, January 20, which would have been Watts’ 43rd birthday.
