The father of an autistic teenager who died in police custody after hitting his head on a cell door said his son was in desperate need of help and was just trying to calm himself.
Isaiah Trammell was taunted, belittled and threatened by nine guards as he begged for his medication at the Montgomery County Jail in Ohio. He was brought to the facility following an arrest following a mental health episode in March 2023.
Celsey Trammell, Isaiah’s father, told NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield that he regularly banged his head to “soothe himself” — a common practice known as “stimming.”
“So when he was growing up, when Isiah was growing up, because of his autism, he would have episodes, and that’s called stimming, and what it does is it allows them to calm themselves down and calm themselves down a little bit,” Celsey said. .
A disturbing video showed him asking the guards multiple times to “just talk to him,” but instead they said Isaiah was “ridiculous,” “embarrassing” and “acting like an asshole.”
Isaiah Trammell was taunted, belittled and threatened by nine guards as he begged for his medication at Ohio’s Montgomery County Jail in March 2023
Isaiah’s father, Celsey Trammell (pictured), told NewsNation that he frequently bumped his head when he was “stimulating” to calm himself down.
After seriously injuring himself, he was taken to a hospital and put on life support for three days before dying. The angle ruled that he died by suicide.
Now, more than a year after the tragic incident, Celsey said he and his family have not heard from authorities about their son’s tragic death.
‘Not at this moment. We haven’t received anything from anyone regarding Isaiah, but I must say we miss him quite a bit. He was a wonderful person and a great person to be around, and like I said, we really, really miss him. his heartbroken father added.
Isaiah’s mother, Brandy Abner, also said their son was “stimulating” in the jail cell to calm himself down.
‘Some people wave their arms, some people shake hands. I mean, he did all that, but when he got really upset he would hit his head,” Brandy previously told The Columbus Dispatch.
Isaiah had been taken to jail after neighbors called the police because he had been banging his head against a wall at his home all night.
He told officers that hitting his head against the wall was ‘the’ one the only way I know to get rid of the madness in my head.”
After fatally wounding himself, Isaiah was taken to a hospital and placed on a ventilator for three days before dying
Officers detained Isaiah after discovering he was wanted on an outstanding domestic violence warrant. He allegedly abused his sister and her husband.
Both his parents said they were unaware of the outstanding warrant for their son’s arrest.
‘Yes, that is strange for us too. It wasn’t the first time we called the Montgomery County Sheriffs,” Celsey said.
“In the past, usually when he was having his episodes and going through what he was doing, we would always call the sheriff’s department and have them come out to make sure everything was okay and that he wasn’t having any kind of would cause damage. against himself, or something like that.’
Brandy said, “We always call when he starts to rage – it’s a mental health call, not an ‘arrest me’ call.”
The 19-year-old told officers he suffered from ADHD and did not want to live.
Isaiah was placed on suicide watch, meaning he was searched and isolated in a secure cell.
However, according to the Dispatch, he was not given a mattress, blanket or suicide-proof dress.
‘He hated exposing his body and he kept telling them. He hated being cooped up. That would definitely trigger him,” his mother said.
Officers reportedly kept him in the restraint chair for more than an hour, which violates Ohio standards for restraint.
The police also threatened to put him in the chair for the third time. The restraint chair is intended as a last resort and is used after dispensing medication.
When the distressed teen asked for his medication, a phone call and a blanket, he was denied, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
When one officer said they couldn’t use the safety chair, another officer responded, “Just put the chair in front of his damn cell so he stops.” Give him a constant reminder.’
The Montgomery County Jail Coalition has called on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) to investigate Isaiah’s death.
Sarah Gelsomino, the family’s attorney, said they will “absolutely” take legal action against the prison.
Officers booked Isaiah after discovering he was wanted on an outstanding domestic violence warrant. Both his parents said they were unaware of the order
“Celsey and Isaiah’s family want to make sure that they can do anything, that they will do everything in their power to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else, not in this prison and hopefully not in any other prisons, so they’ We’re certainly considering all their options, including a lawsuit here,” Gelsomino told Banfield.
When asked why no one saw that Isaiah needed medication and a proper assessment, Gelsomino said his family has the same questions.
“Unfortunately, that’s really all he needed,” she said.
‘He just had to go to the hospital and Isaiah’s family had already used the criminal justice system before, for example, to call the police, to ask for help to get him to the hospital, to get him the help he needed , to get him the help he needed. help he asked for once he was in custody in this prison.”
“And you know, the fact that they watched him do so much damage to himself for so long is inexcusable.”
“This, this poor young man has suffered so much and so unnecessarily for so long,” Gelsomino added.
Yvonne Currington, a retired nurse and member of the Jail Coalition, agreed that the outcome for Isaiah would have been different if he had been properly cared for in prison.
Sarah Gelsomino, the family’s attorney, said they will “absolutely” take legal action against the Montgomery County Jail.
“Isaiah would be alive today if he had been treated with dignity and respect in prison by staff who were concerned about his health and well-being,” Currington said.
‘Instead of listening to his cries for medicine, he was laughed at and ignored. We need accountability for what happened to him.”
That’s what the sheriff’s office said Dayton daily news On Monday, the ODRC’s Bureau of Detention said there were no “deficiencies” in the way the sheriff’s office handled his death.
“Medical and mental health providers at the jail provided treatment to Trammell from the time he was admitted to the jail until he was transported to a local hospital,” said Christine Bevins, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
“While people charged with violent crimes should not be released to society, our community needs a medical facility with a lockdown unit that can better handle those in crisis.”