YORK, Pa. — No criminal charges will be filed in the April 9, 2018 death of Everett Palmer Jr. while in the custody of York County Prison, the York County District Attorney’s Office said.
The announcement follows a two-year investigation into Palmer’s death, culminating in a 174-page report by an investigating grand jury.
Palmer, a 41-year-old from Seaford, Delaware, had was arrested for an outstanding 2016 DUI charge on April 7, 2018. He was being held on $5,000 bail until he could post 10 percent, or $500.
Early in the morning of April 9, he became agitated and started to exhibit “increasingly bizarre and self-injurious behavior” such as hitting his head on the wall, according to the report.
In an effort to remove Palmer from the cell, officers restrained him and used a taser on him twice.
“Neither Secretary Wetzel nor Warden Doll observed any abusive, assaultive or physical interactions beyond those necessary for extraction on the part of the corrections officers,” said York County District Attorney Dave Sunday.
An autopsy found methamphetamines in Palmer’s system, leading his excited state and subsequent injuries, according to the report.
Palmer had a history of abusing substances such as steroids, cocaine and alcohol, according to the report. He also was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and bipolar. However the report states that Palmer had expressly denied any mental illness or drug use to law enforcement.
The report found Palmer had obtained the methamphetamines prior to arriving at York County Prison. He was “tweaking” during his strange behavior.
Palmer’s mother filed a lawsuit last year alleging that York County Prison corrections officers drugged her son and that numerous elected officials, government employees and medical workers conspired to cover up his demise.
While that lawsuit is ongoing, the lawyer representing the Everett family was not available for comment Tuesday.
In order to prevent a similar situation from happening again, the investigating grand jury returned with 24 recommendations on how to improve the York County correction system.
“We chose together to take a very deep dive into macro-level societal issues pertaining to in particular, individuals with mental health and substance abuse and their connection to the prison,” Sunday said.
Recommendations include bringing in a negotiator and having EMS on standby before an emergency cell extraction.
“[These recommendations] will reduce the potential of another life being tragically and quite frankly, senselessly, lost,” said Tim Barker, York County First Assistant District Attorney.
Another recommendation is running a drug screen on all new inmates.
“I think it’s a great idea. Devil’s in the details on how you figure it out,” said John Wetzel, Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections.
Wetzel said he had read the report and intended to implement some of its recommendations in other jurisdictions throughout the state.
“I really want to laud the jury for really looking at the system and questioning every step. It should be questioned,” Wetzel said.