TACOMA — On the witness stand Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Brasfield said jail Superintendent Steve Richmond’s demeanor was sometimes “rough and abrasive,” but that he never saw a reason to terminate, demote or otherwise discipline him.
Brasfield and Richmond testified in a $10 million civil lawsuit filed against Jefferson County and Richmond.
The plaintiff, 29-year-old Zachary Barbee of Port Townsend, alleges he was denied medical care over a 3.5-day period for an infection in his right hand caused by a splinter while he was being held as a pretrial inmate in Jefferson County jail in fall 2004.
His little finger was eventually amputated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle as a result of Richmond’s negligence, Barbee alleges.
Barbee’s attorneys Erik Heipt and Edwin Budge accused the jail and Richmond of a “pattern and practice” of inadequate medical attention for inmates.
Conversely, defense attorneys Mike Patterson and Charles Leitch maintain Richmond and his jail staff put a reasonable and conscious effort into Barbee’s well-being during his brief incarceration and that the alleged pattern of misconduct is false.
Brasfield, who announced his candidacy for re-election last week, took the stand about 11 a.m. Wednesday in the second week of the trial.
Brasfield said this is the first litigation directly involving Richmond or even involving inadequate medical treatment in his three years at the jail.
Patterson used Brasfield to paint a picture of a well-trained staff and an efficiently run facility.
