DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — Jonathan Sanford was arrested on DUI and drug possession charges last June. Sanford was booked into the jail and was found dead in his cell the next morning.
Channel 2′s Mike Petchenik spoke with the parents of Sanford just a couple of weeks later.
“No parent should ever have to find out, especially when there is no explanation, and they don’t know,” said the parents of Sanford.
The family has filed paperwork showing their intention to file a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Dawson County.
According to Sanford’s parents, he was planning to head to college last fall.
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“He was under Dawson County’s care and control. Their supervision, and he died, and these parents are left grieving with no explanation,” attorney AJ Richman said.
Richman also sent a notice to county leaders about the death of Stanford. He referenced that Sanford was left alone and unmonitored despite signs of medical impairment in an individual holding cell.
The notice also pointed out that Sanford had no criminal record.