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Prison footage shows how Army vet Craig Ridley, 62, died after being abandoned in excruciating pain for five days – Guards who broke his neck leaving him paralyzed, walked past his cell 170 times and ignored his screams

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Disturbing footage shows how an inmate died of dereliction in prison after being left paralyzed and in excruciating pain for five days&comma; after guards broke his neck and ignored his pained screams <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Army vet Craig Ridley&comma; 62&comma; died a month after he was tackled to the ground by a corrections officer&comma; leaving him paralyzed on his bunk&comma; after dislocating his neck <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Ridley was slammed to the ground by Capt&period; William Jerrels on Sept 8&comma; 2017 after muttering something the guards deemed &&num;8216&semi;disrespectful&&num;8217&semi; to Sgt&period; John Nettles <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>After the assault the inmate told the guards he couldn&&num;8217&semi;t walk&comma; at which point they got him a wheelchair&comma; but he nearly fell out of the chair <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>The former US Army serviceman was placed in a confinement cell at  the Florida prison for five days before his ailments were taken seriously  <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>It was only on September 12&comma; 2017 that a correction officer realized that something was wrong and took Ridley to a hospital in Jacksonville <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>He was intubated and unable to communicate when he died just a month later <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Despite an investigation by Florida Department of Law Enforcement&comma; which revealed dereliction &&num;8211&semi; as correction officers claimed that they were only relying on medics&&num;8217&semi; advise &&num;8211&semi; <strong>no one was charged for his death<&sol;strong> <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Ridley&&num;8217&semi;s family claim they were first told that her had died of cancer in prison&comma; skeptical of this version they started digging into public records to uncover the truth <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<h2 class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-heading" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;211717&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>His daughter&comma; Jatoon Moss&comma; filed a civil rights lawsuit against Florida&&num;8217&semi;s secretary of the Department of Corrections Ricky Dixon&comma; alongside correction officers and medical staff over her father&&num;8217&semi;s death <&sol;strong><&sol;h2>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Craig-Ridley-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419276" width&equals;"840" height&equals;"509"&sol;><figcaption><strong> One clip shows <strong>Craig Ridley<&sol;strong> on the ground in a fetal position after he was hit to the ground&period; Doctors told Ridley that he was fine&comma; despite the inmate&&num;8217&semi;s inability to move his body&period; He was in his cell for five days&comma; as correction officers waked past over a hundred times without reporting that something was wrong<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Recently released five-year-old footage has revealed how a Florida prison inmate died after being left paralyzed in excruciating pain and locked in a confinement cell for five days after staff broke his neck&period; <br>Sadly the painful death suffered by Army veteran Craig Ridley&comma; 62&comma; was caused when he was tackled to the ground by a corrections officer&comma; leaving him paralyzed on his bunk&period;&comma; because his backchat was considered &&num;8216&semi;disrespectful&&num;8217&semi; to a guard&period;<br>Prison staff who walked past his cell a total of 170 times&comma; ignored his pleas for help&comma; before he was taken to hospital&period;  <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<iframe src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;youtube&period;com&sol;embed&sol;T2h96EWMG9M" title&equals;"YouTube video player" allow&equals;"accelerometer&semi; autoplay&semi; clipboard-write&semi; encrypted-media&semi; gyroscope&semi; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen&equals;"" width&equals;"560" height&equals;"315" frameborder&equals;"0"><&sol;iframe>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size"><strong>Florida corrections officers accused inmate Craig Ridley who had suffered man broken neck at their hands of &&num;8216&semi;faking&period;&&num;8217&semi; They ignored him until he died from his injuries 12 days later<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Ridley&&num;8217&semi;s death was slow and painful death&comma; as he finally succumbed to his injuries on October 12&comma; 2017&comma; after officers at the Florida prison insisted for weeks that he was faking his injuries&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>Ridley was slammed to the ground by&nbsp&semi;Capt&period; William Jerrels on September 8&comma; after muttering something &&num;8216&semi;disrespectful&&num;8217&semi; to&nbsp&semi;Sgt&period; John Nettles&comma; who first punched the prisoner in the face&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>After being tackled and hitting the ground face first&comma; Ridley shouted at the guards to stop hitting him&period; He told them he couldn&&num;8217&semi;t walk&comma; as he sat in a fetal position on the ground&period;<br>Jerrels is heard in the clip saying Ridley was &&num;8216&semi;refusing&&num;8217&semi; to walk at which point they got him a wheelchair&comma; which he nearly fell out of&period; <br>At this point Ridley is heard telling the officers&colon; &&num;8216&semi;My neck is broke&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Craig-Ridley-2&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419278" width&equals;"826" height&equals;"1148"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Former US Serviceman Craig Ridley&comma; from Missouri&comma; was killed while stationed at Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler&comma; the main hospital for Florida&&num;8217&semi;s prison system&period; While there he served a<strong>s a kitchen worker<&sol;strong><&sol;strong>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Craig-Ridley-3&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419280" width&equals;"842" height&equals;"543"&sol;><figcaption>Inmate Craig Ridley&comma; &lbrack;was taken out in a wheel chair because he could not move after being tackled to the ground by a corrections officer&comma; leaving him paralyzed on his bunk from dislocating his neck&period; Officers and staff &&num;8216&semi;mocked&&num;8217&semi; him and believed he was faking his injuries&period; <&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Ridley&comma; from Missouri&comma; was a kitchen worker at Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler&comma; the main hospital for Florida&&num;8217&semi;s prison system&period; He was handed a 20-year jail sentence in 2008 for aggravated assault and criminal mischief&comma; but he was known as a quiet inmate who liked playing chess and running&period; He would have been eligible for release in 2025&period;<br>The 62-year-old inmate&&num;8217&semi;s demise was caused by his being tackled to the ground by the corrections officer&comma; leaving him paralyzed on his bunk from dislocating his neck&period;<br>Officers and staff &&num;8216&semi;mocked&&num;8217&semi; him and believed he was faking his injuries&period;<br>He died just a month after that assault &&num;8211&semi; being slammed to the ground&period;<br>He was in his cell for five days&comma; as correction officers waked past over a hundred times without reporting that something was wrong and when it was ultimately kicked to medical staff&comma; a doctor at the hospital where he was working told him that he was fine&comma; despite Ridley not being able to move his body&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Craig-Ridley-4&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419281" width&equals;"838" height&equals;"507"&sol;><figcaption>Although Ridley could not move his body&comma; he was abandoned in his cell for five days&period; His entreaties for aid were ignored&comma; as correction officers waked past over a hundred times without reporting that something was wrong<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>In a clip obtained by the <a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;miamiherald&period;com&sol;article266896361&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">Miami Herald<&sol;a>&comma; Ridley was seen pleading with officers as he said his neck was broken &&num;8211&semi; but they continued to ignore him as he drooped in a wheelchair&period;<br>Ridley was placed in a confinement cell &&num;8211&semi; and guards Sgt&period; John Nyitray and Officer Daniel Greene told him &&num;8216&semi;you&&num;8217&semi;re bulls&ast;&ast;&ast;&ast;ing&&num;8230&semi;you&&num;8217&semi;re just trying to get a lawsuit&&num;8217&semi; when he said he couldn&&num;8217&semi;t walk by himself&period; <br>They placed him on the toilet inside the cell&comma; where he fell to the ground after being placed on the floor after losing his balance&period; He was left stuck in a pool of his own blood&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Florida-Dept-of-Corrections-Reception-and-Medical-Center-in-Lake-Butler&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419282" width&equals;"834" height&equals;"515"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Ridley was stationed and worked in the kitchen at the Florida Dept&period; of Corrections&&num;8217&semi; Reception &amp&semi; Medical Center in Lake Butler &&num;8211&semi; the state prison system&&num;8217&semi;s main hospital<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>His cellmate&comma; Moise Cherette&comma; banged on the door and asked for help &&num;8211&semi; at first&comma; to no avail&period;&nbsp&semi; Ridley was then taken to see doctor&nbsp&semi;Jean Dure&comma; who concluded he was fine&period; Ridley was returned to a confinement cell&comma; this time on his own&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>Another inmate claims he later saw one of the prisoners on work duty twist Ridley&&num;8217&semi;s broken neck back and forth in front of guards and a nurse at the prison&&num;8217&semi;s urgent care center&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>After five days&comma; other inmates begged staff to help Ridley&comma; but they walked past his cell and did nothing&comma; according to the footage&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>A total of 11 inmates reported that Ridley hadn&&num;8217&semi;t touched any of his food trays or moved from his bunk&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>It was only on September 12&comma; 2017 that a correction officer realized that something was wrong and took Ridley to a hospital in Jacksonville&period; He was intubated and unable to communicate when he died just a month later&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Ricky-Dixon-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419284" width&equals;"840" height&equals;"956"&sol;><figcaption><strong>The prisoner&&num;8217&semi;s daughter&comma; Jatoon Moss&comma; filed a civil rights lawsuit against secretary of the Department of Corrections Ricky Dixon &lbrack;photo&rsqb;&comma; alongside correction officers and medical staff over her father&&num;8217&semi;s death<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Craig-Ridley-6&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419286" width&equals;"846" height&equals;"513"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Footage shows Ridley nearly toppling over in a wheelchair because of his injuries&period; Staff still left him to himself in a confinement cell and did not help for days<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Ridley&&num;8217&semi;s sister Diane Ridley Gatewood told the&nbsp&semi;<a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;miamiherald&period;com&sol;article266896361&period;html" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">Miami Herald&colon;<&sol;a>&nbsp&semi;&&num;8216&semi;This was an inhumane death caused by an abysmal lack of medical treatment&period;&nbsp&semi;It was torture&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>She was first told that her brother had died of cancer in prison &&num;8211&semi; but she didn&&num;8217&semi;t believe and started digging into public records herself&period;&nbsp&semi;&nbsp&semi;<br>The prisoner&&num;8217&semi;s daughter&comma; Jatoon Moss&comma; filed a civil rights lawsuit against&nbsp&semi;secretary of the Department of Corrections&nbsp&semi;Ricky Dixon&comma; alongside correction officers and medical staff over her father&&num;8217&semi;s death&period;<br>Despite an investigation by Florida Department of Law Enforcement&comma; no one was charged for his death &&num;8211&semi; as correction officers claimed that they were only relying on medics&&num;8217&semi; advise&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>One officer was suspended for 8&period;5 hours because he walked past Ridely&&num;8217&semi;s cell 16 times over two days without calling for help when he wasn&&num;8217&semi;t eating&comma; and two others had a letter placed in their files &&num;8216&semi;reprimanding&&num;8217&semi; them for inappropriate language to Ridley&period;&nbsp&semi; &nbsp&semi;<br>The probe found that there was repeated evidence of abuse and neglect&comma; leading to the prisoner&&num;8217&semi;s death&period;&nbsp&semi;<br>Officers continued to believe that Ridley was faking his ailments and then they falsified documents stating that he had eaten during the five-day period when he was paralyzed in his cell&period;&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;image-11&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419287" width&equals;"839" height&equals;"507"&sol;><figcaption><strong>While Ridley was not able to move his body&period; He was in his cell for five days&comma; as correction officers waked past over a hundred times without reporting that something was wrong<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p><br>Despite an investigation by Florida Department of Law Enforcement&comma; &lbrack;FDLE&rsqb;&comma; no one was charged for his death &&num;8211&semi; as correction officers claimed that they were only relying on medics&&num;8217&semi; advise&period;<br>The FDLE also believe that officers forged his signature on documents that he would not have been able to sign given his devastating injuries&period;  <br>A medical examiner also ruled his death a homicide&comma; listing the cause of death as &&num;8216&semi;blunt impact&&num;8217&semi; and a major spinal cord injury&period;<br>He also had paralysis of all four limbs&comma; listed as &&num;8216&semi;complications of quadriplegia&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>Jean Dure&comma; the doctor who concluded there was nothing wrong with Ridley after doing an X-Ray and CT scan&period; He said that he had passed a neurological test&comma; but the FDLE did not find any forms to show that any test had been performed&period;  <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Craig-Ridley-7&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419290" width&equals;"896" height&equals;"507"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Ridley told officers &&num;8216&semi;I cannot move&&num;8217&semi; but his pleas went ignored by prison staff&period; He eventually died from his injuries on Oct 12&comma; 2017&comma; <strong>a month after the assault<&sol;strong><&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Ridley&comma; from Missouri&comma; was a kitchen worker at Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler&comma; the main hospital for Florida&&num;8217&semi;s prison system&period;<br>He was handed a 20-year jail sentence in 2008 for aggravated assault and criminal mischief&comma; but he was known as a quiet inmate who liked playing chess and running&period;  He would have been eligible for release in 2025&period;  <br>A corrections officer described Ridley as a &&num;8216&semi;model inmate&&num;8217&semi; in an interview with FDLE&comma; and he was nicknamed &&num;8216&semi;the president&&num;8217&semi; by his peer because of his calm personality&period; <br>He was known to talk back to guards when he felt he was being treated unfairly&comma; however&comma; and had minor infractions on his record&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2022&sol;10&sol;Craig-Ridley-5&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-419283" width&equals;"842" height&equals;"1013"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Craig Ridley died after corrections officers at a Florida prison broke his neck and left him paralyzed and helpless in a cell for five days<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Ridley served in the US Army and had a degree in electronics engineering before he was imprisoned&period;  <br>David Rembert&comma; an assistant professor of criminal justice at Prairie View A&amp&semi;M University&comma; said&colon; &&num;8216&semi;His civil rights were violated&period; This was deliberate indifference to medical need&period; If you’re walking past somebody’s cell day after day and they’re not moving&comma; you have to know something is wrong&period;&&num;8217&semi;<br>He called the whole ordeal &&num;8216&semi;a hell of a cover up&period;&&num;8217&semi; <br>The deliberate indifference to medical needs for prisoners&&num;8217&semi; is a violation of the Eight Amendment&comma; the US Supreme Court rules&period;  <br>In response to the report&comma; Michelle Glady&comma; a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Corrections acknowledged that the state had failed Ridley&period;<br>She told Miami Herald&colon; &&num;8216&semi;The circumstances of this case are isolated&comma; and absolutely no reflection of what our policies outline and expect&period; We have reviewed this case in depth and recognize the many failures that took place and we have learned from it&period;&&num;8217&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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