Karen Skaggs is not okay.
When I reached out to the sister of the man who died from injuries sustained at the Scioto County Jail, she said, “I haven’t been doing good.” She wasn’t helped by a shocking response to a question posed to a jail official.
Her brother, Kevin Bailey, 56, was taken to the Scioto County Jail in the early morning hours of May 24. On May 26, he was seriously injured at the jail. Skaggs had to make the choice to remove him from life support due to irreparable brain damage. How he was injured is up for debate.
Different Stories
According to a spokesperson from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, Bailey ran away from guards. When they chased him down, he fell and hit his head against an open door.
If you listen to multiple sources inside the jail, Bailey got mouthy with corrections officers. According to the stories related to Karen Skaggs, “I have been told that he was picked up and power drove into a concrete floor several times. Then into a door and then kicked after he was already unconscious. He never came to.”
Bailey’s injuries of a fractured skull, black eye, six broken and one fractured rib does sound more consistent with a beating than a fall into a door. That’s what haunts Skaggs. “I can’t sleep and when I do I have nightmares. This is on my mind every second of the day.”
Prosecutor Promises Justice
This grieving sister is frustrated by the lack of communication from authorities. No one at the jail would even tell her how her brother was injured. She learned about that on the news. That’s the same way sources tell us Scioto County Prosecutor Shane Tieman learned about the incident days after it happened — Even though he’s the county’s legal representative.
Tieman was the first Scioto County official to publicly offer condolences to Skaggs. He reached out with his sympathy and a plea for patience with the investigation on Sunday. Tieman did not comment about the status of the investigation or when he learned of the incident.
He issued an invitation for Skaggs to call his office. She took him up on that offer on Monday. “I did speak to the prosecutor and he said he will get to the bottom of it and assured me if what is being told is true they will answer for what happened.”
Heard Anything About What?
Karen heard from another official on Tuesday. The Jail Administrator finally got back to her.
“Captain Carter called this morning said he had just got back and was returning my call.” She said she told him she was just wondering if he’d heard anything. His reply floored her. “He said ‘about what?’ What would I be calling him for did he forget? I said ‘the investigation.’ He replied ‘He hadn’t gone through his emails or anything yet.”
Where The Investigation Stands
Skaggs said the coroner also spoke to her. She was assured the truth would come out in the autopsy. According to Skaggs, the medical examiner only received Kevin’s body last Friday, ten days after he died.
Right now the investigation is in the hands of the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation. I’ve reached out to the AG for comment, but so far have not heard back.
Scioto County Commissioner Bryan Davis said at Tuesday’s commissioner’s meeting he’d had several conversations with Prosecutor Tieman about the matter.
“I know he is reserving any statements as this is an ongoing investigation. Our heart goes out to the family of Kevin Bailey. We don’t know any more than you know at this point. I was encouraged to read that the AG’s office had been in touch with the family. Try to be patient.”
