04-03-2025
Mother sues Cocke County Sheriff's Office over daughter's death
COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — A woman is suing the Cocke County Sheriff's Office over the death of her daughter.
Deborah Jenkins filed a wrongful death lawsuit in regard to her daughter Kristina Dukes. In addition to CCSO, the county itself, the mayor, the sheriff, multiple deputies, the City of Newport, the Newport Police Department and others.
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Jenkins alleges that her daughter, after being arrested and taken to Cocke County Jail, developed a medical condition that was obviously serious. According to the lawsuit, the defendants were 'deliberately indifferent' and Dukes 'died without emergency treatment.'
According to the lawsuit, Dukes was staying in an inn on February 29, 2024 and was experiencing symptoms of a medical event including confusion, lethargy, and incoherent speech. The desk clerk at the inn notices that Dukes was acting out of character and then called for medical help which soon arrived, transporting Dukes to Newport Medical Center. At the center, she tested negative for multiple drugs and was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus with hyperglycemia.
The lawsuit continues the narrative, saying that after Dukes left the medical center, an employee called 911, reporting that she was outside the hospital's front doors asking a passerby 'for a number to get a fix.'
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An officer arrived, found Dukes speaking incoherently and took her to jail, believing her to be 'high as hell,' the lawsuit alleges. The officer who took her into custody allegedly told another officer that he had arrested Dukes for drug-related crimes previously; the lawsuit says this statement was false and that Dukes was not known for drug use. During the drive for the jail, they she kept asking for help.
At the jail, they checked her blood sugar which was 360. Dukes was 'nodding out' and officials decided to give her Narcan. She was monitored throughout the night and acted normally during breakfast according to records, the lawsuit alleges.
On March 1, at 4:36 p.m., an inmate notified personnel that Dukes was on the ground in her cell. Personnel then called 911 to report stroke-like symptoms. She was taken to Newport Medical Center where a CT scan noted a stroke in her brain. She was transported to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where she passed away on March 3.
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'The actions and omissions by all Defendants… were unreasonable and performed knowingly, wantonly, deliberately, indifferently, intentionally, maliciously and with gross negligence, callousness and reckless indifference to decedent's wellbeing and serious medical needs in reckless indifference to decedent's safety and life,' according to the lawsuit documents.
The lawsuit alleges that Dukes' Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated and the officers were improperly trained. Jenkins is seeking a jury trial, a judgement against the defendants, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and other relief.
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