Director believes charges will be filed in death of 9th person housed at Louisville's jail

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- At least nine people have died in Metro Corrections in the past eight months.

Director Jerry Collins took office in April soon after the eighth death in a five-month span inside the jail.

Norman Sheckles, 44, died of an overdose while in jail custody around 4:45 p.m. last Friday, July 8. Staff was notified and immediately started life-saving measures and called EMS. He was then taken to the hospital where he died.

Jail staff then started looking at other people housed in the jail and noticed that three others also needed help. They survived, but jail staff believes another inmate is to blame.

Louisville Metro Corrections Director Jerry Collins

Collins said while the incident is still under investigation, his staff has a good idea of how it happened and is confident charges will be filed.

"There's a problem in the community which always makes it a problem in the jail, especially with Fentanyl, which is poison and a very small amount can cause an overdose," Collins said.

A toxicology report has not come back yet, but Collins said the jail is confident it was fentanyl that the individuals overdosed on.

A K-9 search of Metro Corrections last Friday following Sheckles' death turned up suspected fentanyl, Daniel Johnson, president of the Metro Corrections FOP Union, told WDRB News.

K-9 officers search the facility each day. A body scanner was also implemented by the jail in April in an effort to minimize the amount of drugs that can get through the door. To date, the scanner has stopped 45 people. Earlier this week, officials found suboxone — a drug used to treat opioid addiction — strips on fake mail people have tried to send in.

But Collins said the systems the jail has in place don't always work.

"We have a commitment to make this as safe as possible, but if you have disregard for human life, and you're trying to introduce this poison into this facility, we're gonna pursue charges on it."

Related Stories: