VOLUSIA EXPOSED

VOLUSIA EXPOSED.COM

The Volusia County Jail has had another in-custody death of a young woman,
Heidi Wooley.
Could this death have been prevented?
Why didn't correctional officers immediately start CPR?
Did the jail take proper corrective actions or precautions regarding earlier deaths?
Was Ms. Wooley's medical intake screening properly completed?
Should these deaths be independently reviewed, as was the case prior to 1997?

Updated
September 6, 2011

"The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference"- Bess Myerson

UPDATE - September 6, 2011
Why did Osceola County correctional officers know to start CPR on Inmate Marcus Varnado, but Volusia County Inmate Heidi Wooley had to wait those critical minutes for medical staff's arrival before CPR was started on her?

END OF UPDATE

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THE HEIDI WOOLEY IN-CUSTODY DEATH AT THE VOLUSIA COUNTY JAIL

Heidi Wooley

On March 27, 2011 another inmate died while on a medical watch at the Volusia County Jail.

VolusiaExposed.Com has been contacted by Ms. Wooley's family. The family has requested that anyone who can provide additional information into the events that led to Ms. Wooley's death to please contact them.

Ms. Wooley's mother, Joyce Telford can be contacted either by email or phone
Click here to email Joyce - Fernmolly56@aol.com

Or call Joyce at 386-337-4114

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MEDICAL EXAMINER'S INVESTIGATION

VolusiaExposed.Com has previously expressed concerns that, since Volusia County Government is a "home rule" county, that the Medical Examiner's office is not independent from Volusia County Government. In many counties in Florida - the medical examiner's office is a State of Florida agency, in Volusia County, the medical examiner's office is under the Volusia County Department of Public Protection (VCDPP) - the same subsection of county government that contains the Volusia County Division of Corrections (County Jail).

VolusiaExposed.Com believes that these in-custody deaths need a properly structured, outside review. Prior to 1997 - all jail deaths in the State of Florida were also reviewed by the Florida State Prison Inspector, under the authority of Florida Administrative Code 33-8. Upon FAC 33-8 repeal - it was replaced with the voluntary guidelines of Florida Model Jail Standards (FMJS). FMJS does not have any requirements that these in-custody jail deaths be independently investigated - and since the FMJS standards are voluntary - many Florida jails don't even allow FMJS inspectors to annually inspect their jails for safety and security reviews. We invite you to read the below attached paper regarding the FAC 33-8 vs FMJS issue.

Click here -to review the Volusia County Medical Examiner's report regarding Ms. Wooley's death.

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VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION

Click here to listen to Ofc. Anderson's audio recorded statement during the VCSO investigation

This VCSO investigation took over two months to complete - Why can't VCSO Investigator Mays determine if it was 1530 or 1548 hrs when Ms. Wooley was found to be unresponsive? (see yellow highlighted area of Investigator Mays' attached report)

Investigator Mays states in his / her report that the "Guard One" tool is scanned to the inmate wristbands. That this scanning with the "Guard One" tool documents the officer's safety and security rounds / check on the inmate. These rounds were suppose to be completed every fifteen minutes. However, VolusiaExposed.Com has confirmed with several reliable sources within Volusia County Corrections that the "Guard One" tool is scanned against a bar code attached to the inmate's assigned cell door and not the inmate's wristband. We find it significant, that the VCSO investigator was not able to properly obtain how these safety and security rounds are conducted. (see yellow highlighted area of Mays' attached report)

Common sense also supports that the inmate wristband was NOT being scanned every fifteen minutes - our sources state that it would be impossible to open each segregated inmate's cell every fifteen minutes to scan their wristband with the "Guard One" tool.

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VOLUSIA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC PROTECTION INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS / DOCUMENTS

Why didn't Officer Anderson immediately start CPR on Ms. Wooley? Why didn't Lt. Scarbough assist Officer Anderson in getting CPR started, rather then going to get the nurses from the clinic? Why did Officer Anderson apparently send Officer Thurman to get the nurses rather than requesting Thurman's assistance in starting CPR? Don't the nurses automatically respond when a code blue is called both over the radio and the building intercom system? Why did both Officer Thurman and Lt. Scarbough go to get the nurses, instead of at least one of them helping Officer Anderson in getting CPR started?

According to Officer Anderson's report, (see below link) at approximately 1545 hrs while doing her safety and security rounds she discovered Ms. Wooley unresponsive. Officer Anderson did immediately call a code blue (probably via her duty radio - her report does not indicate how she called the code) However, Officer Anderson's report does clearly state that Lt. Scarbough was present in H-Block with her. Why didn't they (Anderson and Scarbough) immediately start CPR on Ms. Wooley? According to her (Anderson) report, medical staff did not arrive in H-Block until approximately 1548 hrs - approximately three minutes (1545-1548 hrs) after the code blue was called. It is VolusiaExposed's understanding that a person can not be deprived of oxygen for more than three to five minutes and have a reasonable chance of being successfully resuscitated. Was security staff's refusal to render immediate medical aid, both a dereliction of duty and a death sentence to Ms. Wooley?

Why didn't Lt. Scarbough, Officer Anderson and Officer Thurman realize, like Daytona Beach Police Lt. Craig Buth did on a Thursday morning in July 2011 - that if a person has been without oxygen between three to five minutes, its crucial to administer CPR as quickly as possible.

DBPD Lt. Craig Buth discovered a young man that he considered to already be dead - "He was already dead - I've have many dead bodies in my time and he was gone" - but that didn't stop Lt. Buth from immediately starting CPR until the fire department arrived like he was trained to do. So again, with time being so crucial - why didn't VCDC Lt. Scarbough, Officer Anderson or Thurman do that same and start CPR on Ms. Wooley?

According to Lt. Scarbough's report - he was on scene when Ms. Wooley was found unresponsive - but for some unknown reason he did not start CPR. In fact, Lt. Scarbough's report confirms that CPR was not started on Ms. Wooley until medical staff arrived and started it.

Now look at Officer Thurman's report - although Lt. Scarbough's report appears to indicate that he immediately responded to Ms. Wooley's cell with the nurses - Officer Thurman appears to document another account. Officer Thurman indicates that she responded to a 1548 hrs code blue in H-block. She further documents that upon her arrival to H-Block, that Officer Anderson instructed her to "go get the nurse". Officer Thurman goes on to document that she proceeded to the clinic and secured the services of Nurses White, Schill and Miller.
So, according to the reports written by correctional officers Anderson, Scarbough and Thurman - almost immediately after Ms. Wooley was found unresponsive in her medical segregation cell of H-16 - there were three correctional officers present - none of them started CPR and apparently two of them left the scene to go get the nurses that should have already been on their way due to the calling of the code blue.

VolusiaExposed.Com has received reliable information that Volusia County has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer's dollars in purchasing each security staff member their own take home duty radio. Further, it has been reliablity confirmed that tens of thousands of taxpayer's dollars have been spent in training each correctional officer in CPR (once every two years). VolusiaExposed.Com has secured those training records of correctional officers Anderson, Scarbough and Thurman, (see below) and we have confirmed that they were all CPR qualified the day Ms. Wooley died (March 27, 2011). So - the questions are - why didn't Officer Anderson / Scarbough / Thurman, after calling the code blue - follow though with their training, by checking for vitals and starting CPR? AND if they had immediately started CPR - would Ms. Wooley be alive today?

VolusiaExposed.Com requested a copy of the VCDC internal affairs report generated on this death. We have attached a copy of the IA report that was forwarded to FDLE agent Wayne Ivey for review. Within this report, it is noted that VCDC IA Investigator Dofflemyer does NOT make any investigative conclusions in her letter to Mr. Ivey. Further of interest, is a June 11, 2011 email (page 2 of IA report), between VCSO Investigator Mays and VCDC IA Investigator Dofflemyer whereas Investigator Mays is documented as being assigned to the "Sex Crime Unit/Internet Crimes against Children". Did VCSO Investigator Mays have the experience necessary to properly handle an unattended death investigation?

VolusiaExposed.Com requested a copy of the Inmate Block Roster, as well as any inmate written statements collected during the investigation into Ms. Wooley's death. Ms. Wooley died while in medical segregation in H-Block. We felt it might be of investigative significance to request the names of the other inmates assigned to H-Block. These other medically segregated inmates might have overheard something of significance either in the cell block or in the clinic. However, as per the attached email - no statements were secured from the other inmates.
VolusiaExposed.Com is left wondering if Ms. Wooley would have died at home on her front porch - would the VCSO investigator had interviewed her neighbors?

VolusiaExposed.Com has contacted FDLE Resident Agent-in-Charge Wayne Ivey via email and has requested that his office not simply REVIEW Ms. Wooley's death - but rather that his office INVESTIGATE the events and circumstances surrounding all the in-custody deaths that we have concerns about.
Although, given FDLE's past reluctance to investigate our concerns, we feel as though FDLE will not take our concerns seriously. However, in the future - FDLE will not be able to deny that they knew of our concerns.

FDLE Agent Wayne Ivey is now officially running for sheriff of Brevard County, Florida in 2012. Please see the below media weblinks. By the end of 2012, FDLE Agent Ivey hopes to be supervising the Brevard County Jail as the new Brevard County Sheriff. Could Agent Ivey's political ambitions influence his level of commitment to investigate or address, the events surrounding questionable deaths within the Volusia County jail?

We ask our readers to remember the 2008 election cycle - many contend that then State Attorney John Tanner lost his re-election bid due to his investigation of corruption within the Flagler County jail. Did Mr. Tanner commit political suicide by ordering an investigation into possible corruption within the Flagler County jail? Will FDLE Agent Wayne Ivey avoid such a political controversy by ignoring the concerns involving in-custody deaths within the Volusia County jail?

As of August 5, 2011 - Agent Ivey has NOT responded to VolusiaExposed.Com's concerns surrounding these in-custody deaths, as addressed in our July 18, 2011 email to him.

Maybe, Mr. Ivey does not feel obligated to address our concerns - therefore, we invite our readers to contact Mr. Ivey via his email address and request directly from him why he has apparently refused to investigate these in-custody deaths.

Click here to email FDLE Agent Ivey - wayneivey@fdle.state.fl.us

OTHER RECENTLY OBTAINED RECORDS ARE PENDING POSTING

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ADDITIONAL VOLUSIA COUNTY DIVISION OF CORRECTIONS REPORTS

Sgt. Pendegrass - a familiar name in the 2009 Tracy Veira's in-custody death
See the below link to the Inmate Veira web page.

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PHS - PRISON HEALTH SERVICE - JAIL NURSING REPORTS / DOCUMENTS

VolusiaExposed has some questions involving the medical paperwork generated by Prison Health Services (PHS).

Why didn't the PHS staff member assigned to do Ms. Wooley's medical intake properly address Ms. Wooley's alcohol abuse? Notice on page 2 of the Medical Intake Screening form (see below link) the PHS staff member indicates that Ms. Wooley admitted to drinking alcohol, but the PHS staff member failed to address the other intake questions involving alcohol usage, to include whether Ms. Wooley suffers from alcohol withdrawals (temors, seizures or DTs).

The above intake medical screening was completed on March 26, 2011 at 22:44 hrs (10:44pm), this being approximately sixteen (16) hours prior to Ms. Wooley being found unresponsive in her cell. Ms. Wooley was NOT placed on the PHS alcohol / drug withdrawals protocols until approximately 11:00 hrs the next day and within hours of her death. Did the PHS staff's failure to properly complete Ms. Wooley's medical intake screening delay her receiving the medications associated with alcohol and drug withdrawals? And if so, did this medication delay assist in Ms. Wooley's demise?

Apparently, Ms. Wooley advised PHS staff (Schill) while in the clinic waiting area that she drinks two fifths of vodka per day (see page 2 of below linked progress notes of Nurse Schill.)

It has been noted that Nurse Schill's entry regarding Ms. Wooley's daily alcohol consumption is logged as a Late Entry (LE). However, Nurse Schill does not indicate when she documented this late entry - obviously it was after Ms. Wooley death, since her death is noted within the early progress notes. Was Nurse Schill's late entry documented shortly after Ms. Wooley's death, shortly after her autopsy, or even maybe shortly after her toxicology report came back? Shouldn't Nurse Schill have indicated when she documented the late entry?

Either way - the nursing progress notes give clear indications that Ms. Wooley would have indicated her alcohol consumption level earlier, if the medical intake medic would have properly completed the medical intake screening.

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VolusiaExposed.Com questions whether this death could have been prevented if other jail deaths had been properly investigated by the VCSO. In the particular, we invite our readers to review the events surrounding the 2009 in-custody death of Inmate Tracy Veira. (see below web link)

As stated earlier - prior to 1997, all county jail deaths were independently investigated by the Florida State Prison Inspector's office, under the authority of Florida Administrative Code 33-8. However, FAC 33-8 was discontinued and now these deaths do not receive this independent investigation. Should Florida return to having these jail deaths investigated by the State Prison Inspector? (see below web link)

FINAL THOUGHTS

VOLUSIAEXPOSED.COM REQUESTS FDLE INVESTIGATIVE RECORDS REGARDING THE TRACY VEIRA AND HEIDI WOOLEY DEATHS
Click here - to review VolusiaExposed.Com's August 5, 2011 public record request to the FDLE

VOLUSIAEXPOSED.COM RECEIVES FDLE's RESPONSE REGARDING INVESTIGATIVE RECORDS IN THE TRACY VEIRA AND HEIDI WOOLEY DEATHS
Click here - to review FDLE's answer that no such investigative records exist into any FDLE review / investigation regarding the in-custody deaths of Inmates Veira or Wooley

Why didn't the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) review or investigate the in-custody deaths of Volusia County jail Inmates Tracy Veira or Heidi Wooley?

VolusiaExposed.Com's request for any investigative reports filed by FDLE on these matters is answered by FDLE that no such paperwork exist. How can that be?

FDLE has investigated other in-custody jail deaths - a simple Google search can confirm this - so why didn't they investigate ANY of the Volusia County jail deaths?

Could the answer be political? Currently, Wayne Ivey, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's - Resident Agent-in-Charge of Volusia and Brevard counties, has filed his papers with the Brevard County Election Supervisor to run as a republican candidate for the 2012 election of Brevard County Sheriff. If Agent Ivey is successful in his bid to become the next Brevard County Sheriff he will be in charge of the Brevard County jail.

The current Florida State jail inspection system is based on county jails inspecting each other to ensure complaince with Florida Model Jail Standards. Could Agent Ivey's reluctance to investigate the Volusia County jail deaths be connected to his realization that Volusia County jail officers would be inspecting the Brevard County jail?

We invite you to review our concerns regarding the NEW jail inspection process within the State of Florida. Is this new inspection and overview process failing to identify deadly problems within Florida jails? Is the process more about politics then it is about problem identification and solving?

MORE TO COME -- AS ADDITIONAL REQUESTED RECORDS BECOME AVAILABLE