- A case involving the 2013 death of a 38-year-old Arizona man in the Montezuma County Detention Center appears to be moving toward a settlement.
A case involving the 2013 death of a 38-year-old Arizona man in the Montezuma County Detention Center appears to be moving toward a settlement. The family of Harrison Begay filed suit in U.S. District Court last year against the county, the Sheriff’s Office, Southwest Memorial Hospital, and several individuals over his death. In an April 11th motion, the plaintiffs and county defendants said they have agreed to a settlement, but need more time because the underage plaintiffs’ claims may need approval by Arizona courts and the Navajo Nation judicial branch. Begay was found dead in his jail cell on October 27th, 2013, over a day after he was taken to the hospital with a head injury and a very high blood alcohol level of .376. The plaintiffs’ complaint alleges the hospital gave him a CAT scan and vitamins, then sent him to the Bridge shelter, which he soon left. Found intoxicated and unconscious in Walmart early on October 26th, he was arrested for trespassing. The complaint says he was taken back to the hospital but merely given a cursory examination in the police car and sent straight to jail. The complaint says family members who arrived as he was being wheeled into the jail saw head injuries they believe were from physical abuse by sheriff’s personnel. The defendants have denied any negligence or mistreatment.
