Southern Indiana jail refuses to take woman due to high blood alcohol level, police leave her in parking lot

SEYMOUR, Ind. (WDRB) — A Seymour, Indiana woman was unarrested and left at the jail, after being arrested for disorderly conduct. The jail refused to take her because her blood alcohol level was too high.

On June 22, 2024, Seymour police were called to an alley in the downtown for a woman that wasn't doing very well. The police ended up arresting her for disorderly conduct, and then they had to drive her 19 miles to the Jackson County Jail.

According to the police report, the officer brought the woman to the jail and they, the jail staff, gave her a breathalyzer test. The woman tested .255, and the jail wouldn't take her.

An officer, the police report said, found the woman in the alley with a bottle of whiskey hanging out of her purse. She was slurring her words and had a hard time sitting up. So, the officer arrested her.

An ambulance was called to check her out and her only aliment at the time was too much liquor. The woman refused to go to the emergency room, so the next stop was the Jackson County Jail. When they arrived at the jail, the jail commander explained to the Seymour Council what happened next.

“We wouldn't take them. That is too high. We got to wait for their alcohol level to come down. My staff refuses. The police officer takes this person, he has got to sit in the parking lot with her,” said the Jackson County Jail commander during a Seymour City Council meeting in June.

According to the jail commander, the police officer didn't sit long.

“Well then he calls the jail about five minutes later, change of plans, they are unarrested. I'm going to leave her in the parking lot of the jail. So, my jail staff knows they have a duty to intervene and so they go out there, call this person a cab, call the family, and they sit with her outside the jail until someone comes and picks her up,” said the jail commander.

There is video of the entire incident, and the Jackson County Sheriff told us he would give WDRB a copy, but the Jackson County attorney stopped him from doing so, saying the video showed areas of concern or vulnerabilities of the jail.

At least three people have died while in custody at the Jackson County jail since 2021. WDRB reported extensively on the death of Ta'Neasha Chappell. Since then, the jail has made changes to protect inmates and the county. This incident now raises questions about liability for the city of Seymour.

“Is the city attorney aware of the liability those officers are putting on the city, because if that person goes out in the highway, which everyone knows the jail is on a highway, and gets hit by a car, who is liable for that because when you take somebody into custody they are under your care," said the jail commander.

The Seymour Chief of Police Greg O’Brien sent this statement from city attorney Christina Engleking, "As a result, the arresting officer filed charges against the subject with the Prosecutor's Office and released the individual."

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