Mentally ill veteran died in jail at half his weight

Mentally ill inmate dies at half his body weight in Broward jail; lawsuit alleges neglect
Sun Sentinel
By Tonya Alanez
July 13, 2014

During his 155 days in jail, Raleigh Priester withered to half his body weight.

When the 6-foot-2-inch father of two was found dead on his jail cell floor, he weighed 120 pounds.

On the day of his arrest five months earlier, he had weighed in at 240 pounds, records show.

Priester, 52, spent the final months of his troubled life in solitary confinement at a Broward sheriff's jail, naked, mumbling to himself and playing an imaginary flute.

The mentally ill man frequently refused to eat or take medications, and alternated between banging his head on the floor and laying in a fetal position on his bunk, jail medical records show.

The Sheriff's Office said it hadn't yet received the complaint, but would review it and respond in court. The inmate health-care provider declined to comment about the case, citing federal medical privacy laws.

The U.S. Army veteran with a two-decade history of schizophrenia died July 10, 2012, at a jail in Pompano Beach.

It was a seemingly immature act that landed Priester behind bars.

He was jailed on the morning of Feb. 6, 2012, accused of hurling a rock at a Fort Lauderdale parking-garage attendant and hitting him in the upper back after Priester was told he was trespassing.
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Will Vietnam Vet get justice after 3 attempted suicides?

We have Veterans' Courts today because of what happened to Vietnam Veterans and we have "programs" for PTSD because of what they fought for. This veteran is an example of what they came home to. How much do you want to bet this veteran was misdiagnosed?

Decades Too Late With Schizophrenic Vet's Suit
Courthouse News
By MARLENE KENNEDY
March 29, 2013
WASHINGTON (CN) - A schizophrenic veteran is about 25 years too late to sue for wrongful discharge and disability benefits, a judge for the Court of Federal Claims ruled.

An action must be filed within six years of a claim occurring for the court to have jurisdiction, according to the ruling. The military discharge being disputed here by Monroe Quailes Jr., however. dates back to 1979.

"Despite the court's recognition of the difficulties in seeking redress that plaintiff has encountered over the years, it is compelled to grant the government's motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction," Judge Edward Damich wrote.

Quailes served two tours in Vietnam with the Army as a quarry machine operator and a cook before returning stateside in 1972. He soon began experiencing psychiatric problems that led to a suicide attempt in 1973 and subsequent outpatient treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

A routine physical conducted before Quailes was honorably discharged in April 1975 showed "no psychiatric problems." After another suicide attempt in July that year, however, Quailes entered outpatient care at a private psychiatric hospital in Washington, D.C.

Quailes nevertheless succeeded less than a year later in enlisting in the Navy - "somewhat surprisingly, in light of the indications of his troubled history," Damich noted.

Soon thereafter, he went AWOL (absent without leave) twice in August 1976, then returned to service before taking an "unauthorized absence" in October. In November, he was declared a deserter.

In December 1976, Quailes was arrested in Easton, Md., on charges of burglary and grand larceny in connection with a home break-in. A third suicide attempt while incarcerated in the county jail landed him in a Maryland psychiatric hospital.

Quailes ultimately withdrew an initial plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and pleaded guilty to the break-in in December 1977. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with five years suspended.
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Teen tries to quiet the voices in his head

Teen tries to quiet the voices in his head
By Madison Park
CNN
Story Highlights
Schizophrenia disrupts Maryland teenager's life, forces him to leave college

Teen's story echoes experience of Nathaniel Ayers, subject of film, "The Soloist"

Family struggles to learn how to best help teenager deal with mental illness

The intrusive voices popped into William "Bill" Garrett's head. "They're coming for you," the voices told the 18-year-old. "Find somewhere to hide; they're going to get you." Garrett, who once color coordinated his closet, could soon no longer groom himself or shower. As schizophrenia took hold, the Maryland teenager became lost within his own mind and had to leave college after winning a full, four-year scholarship. full story