Man unconscious from apparent overdose untreated by jail nurse

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Surveillance video from inside a local jail shows officers rushing to provide life-saving medication to a man in custody who overdosed, in an incident that prompted changes across the county.

Channel 2's Mike Petchenik obtained the video through an open records request after his initial reporting about the June 28 incident at the North Fulton Jail annex in Alpharetta.

The video shows a Sandy Springs police officer pulling 26-year-old Wayman Allen Keller from the back of a squad car.

Several minutes earlier, video shows a jail nurse taking a look at Keller and then going back inside her office appearing not to help.

Alpharetta officers nearby rushed to the sally port and administered Narcan to Keller before an ambulance rushed him to the hospital.

An officer noted in his report that the nurse refused to render aid.

“That’s your job.  Why would you just look at someone, throw your hands up and say there’s nothing I can do?” said Keller’s father, Wayman Allen Keller Sr.  “There’s always something you can do.”

Petchenik showed the surveillance video to Keller, who said his son has admitted to having a drug problem and is seeking treatment.

“The good that we take from it is now they know what needs to be done and what needs to be taken care of in an incident like that,” he said.

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The Fulton County Jail’s deputy chief jailer told Petchenik an internal investigation concluded the nurse followed policy.

“Before an individual can be taken into custody at the Fulton County jail they have to be checked out by our medical provider,” Lt. Col. Derrick Singleton said.  “She advised that officer he needed to take that subject to a medical facility.”

Singleton said, at the time, the jail annex was not equipped with Narcan, but after Petchenik’s reporting, officials decided to provide doses of the overdose reversal drug to medical workers at its main facility and two annexes in Alpharetta and Union City.

“We want to make sure we let the community know that we’re responsive to the needs of the citizens and that’s the reason why we made the decision,” Singleton said. “To be proactive, we’re being prepared.”

Keller said he’s thankful for the officers who helped, thankful his son survived the incident and that Fulton County is taking steps to prevent future issues.

“We give thanks and praise that he’s ok and no other further incidents can occur due to the action that Fulton County has taken,” Keller said.

Cox Media Group