New guilty plea: Case involving Tony Mitchell’s death in Walker Co. Jail advances
Tony Mitchell died in custody of the Walker Co Sheriff’s Office in January 2023
WALKER COUNTY, Ala. (WBRC) - Bailey Clark Ganey, 23, formally pleaded guilty to conspiracy against rights Wednesday in the ongoing civil rights investigation into the death of inmate Tony Mitchell in the Walker County Jail.
Mitchell died after spending two weeks in custody in the Walker County Jail. He was held in a cold cell, naked, and in obvious need of medical and mental health care.
Ganey showed no emotion during the court proceeding, responding to the judge’s questions about foregoing his right to trial. He could face up to life in prison and a quarter million dollars in fines in this case.
Background
Ganey was working at the Walker County Jail while Mitchell was in custody, although he had no formal training and was only 22 years old.
Court records indicate Ganey admitted to federal investigators that he showed “hostility” towards Mitchell and made comments after his arrest that he should have been killed for shooting at deputies.
“In an effort to ingratiate himself with his supervisors, he did not make any effort to obtain medical or mental health care for [Mitchell], despite the demonstrated needs for such services,” court records cite.
Ganey was working the night before Mitchell’s death and told federal investigators that he was “only able to raise his head to mutter incoherently.”
Despite his condition, Ganey did nothing to help Mitchell.
The next morning, Mitchell was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Mitchell’s internal body temperature was 74 degrees. According to the autopsy, he died from hypothermia and sepsis related to medical neglect.
Ganey is the second defendant to formally plead guilty. So far Joshua Jones has pleaded guilty to similar counts. Other defendants charged in this case include Karen Kelly, Heather Craig, Grayson Woods, Daniel Wyers and Daniel Brown.
Additional arrests are expected.
For more stories about the ongoing investigations at the Walker County Jail, click here.
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