Contact: Sgt. Joy Matthews - 616.632.6106
Email: joy.matthews@kentcountymi.gov
Supervisor Approval: Chief Deputy Dave Kok
Case Number: 20-146439
Incident Type: Inmate Death

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Nov 19, 2020) – On November 17th, 2020 at 9:07 PM, deputies from the Kent County Sheriff’s Office responded to a medical emergency inside the correctional facility. An inmate, Carlos Anthony Davis, was walking to his cell when he experienced a medical emergency and fell down a flight of stairs. Deputies working inside the jail, in addition to medical staff within the facility, immediately administered aid. After falling, Mr. Davis was alert, aware, and talking clearly to deputies and medical staff. Life Ambulance responded to the jail, arriving within nine minutes of Mr. Davis falling. Mr. Davis was transported by ambulance non-emergency to Spectrum Hospital Butterworth Campus where he experienced further medical complications and subsequently died at 10:07 PM.

On November 18th, 2020, the Kent County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and concluded that Mr. Davis died of natural causes; acute pulmonary thromboemboli due to probable deep vein thrombosis with other significant conditions of COVID-19.

Leading up to the medical emergency on November 17th, Mr. Davis developed symptoms consistent with COVID-19 on November 8th. He was immediately moved to an isolation cell and subsequently tested positive for COVID-19. Per medical protocol at the Kent County Correctional Facility, inmates that test positive for COVID-19 are seen daily by medical staff. Mr. Davis received such care and his symptoms had subsided. Just prior to the medical emergency in the jail, Mr. Davis completed a 26-minute video visit where he spoke and behaved normally. Following the video visit, Mr. Davis talked to a deputy to retrieve cleaning supplies and did not express any medical concerns.

Kent County Correctional Facility proactively tests all new inmates for COVID-19 upon arraignment (after 48 hours of arrest, but before they enter general population). Positive inmates are isolated, while negative inmates complete a 14-day quarantine prior to entering the general population of inmates. Additionally, staff members wear gloves and N95 masks, and are required to complete a symptom and exposure screening prior to entering the facility. High touch surfaces are routinely cleaned and disinfected, and inmates are encouraged to wash their hands with soap and water as often as possible. Since March 2020, Mr. Davis was one of five general population inmates at the Kent County Correctional Facility who tested positive for COVID-19. The five COVID-19 positive inmates represent slightly more than one half of one percent of the nearly 800 inmate population.

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office continues to work closely with the Kent County Health Department to ensure that the safety and security of the correctional facility is paramount and that the health and well-being of both the inmates and staff remains a top priority.

Mr. Davis had been an inmate at the Kent County Correctional Facility since November 17, 2020. He was serving sentence through the 17th Circuit Court for VCSA – possession less than 25 grams cocaine/heroin. His expected release date was May 23rd, 2021.