LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — An inmate awaiting trial in a shooting case wants a federal judge to release him from solitary confinement in a Lebanon County jail.
Eric S. McGill Jr. has been confined for more than a year because he refuses to cut his dreadlocks.
He was arrested on January 19, 2019, after he and two others were accused of shooting and injuring four people in Lebanon.
After being offered bail that he couldn't afford, McGill was placed in Lebanon County Correctional Facility while waiting to face conspiracy to commit homicide, among other related charges.
McGill, 27, filed an amended complaint against three senior administrators at the Lebanon County Correctional Facility last week over the dreadlocks that carry religious significance for him.
He's an adherent of Rastafarianism, and as part of his religion, McGill is not to cut his hair.
His lawyers say McGill's mental health is deteriorating while in solitary.
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A lawyer for Lebanon County declined to comment Tuesday.
But she has argued that state law lets county jails set inmate hair styles to comply with sanitation and security policies.
FOX43 has reached out to speak with McGill's attorney.
