8th federal lawsuit filed over medical care at Mecklenburg jail since 2019

A federal lawsuit filed against Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden and jail staff alleges that Aaron Hannon had several toes amputated after his medical needs went unmet during a 13-day stay at the detention center in April 2024. The court filing identifies itself as at least the eighth civil complaint brought over medical care at the facility under McFadden's leadership.

Hannon was arrested April 17, 2024, on charges later dropped after it was determined he was protecting a family member, according to the complaint. He has heart disease and diabetes, and the lawsuit says he lives with a diabetic condition that raised his risk of amputation for wounds on his legs and feet. He had no wounds when booked and monitored his feet daily.

He described those conditions to medical staff at admission, including his elevated risk of foot infection. Staff recorded that he needed no medical accommodations and issued him flip flops several inches too small, telling him larger pairs were unavailable, the lawsuit states. Within days, open wounds appeared on his feet. The filing alleges staff declined to treat them properly and refused his requests to go to a hospital.

The complaint quotes a standard of care for diabetic patients with infected foot wounds requiring aggressive wound treatment and effective antibiotic therapy. It states that at one point, with peeling, bleeding, inflamed skin and wounds oozing blood and green pus, a staff member logged his condition as normal. He missed 45 doses of his regular medication during the stay.

Hannon was released April 30, 2024, and reached the Atrium Mercy Emergency Department within hours. Records there described advanced infections and an extremely serious condition, and he was put on aggressive antibiotics. The drugs failed, and doctors amputated several toes, the lawsuit alleges.

In a statement, McFadden said he cannot address specific allegations in pending litigation but that the office takes its responsibility for the health and safety of jail residents seriously. "We recognize that people enter our detention facility with a range of medical needs, including preexisting conditions," McFadden said. "Our staff work to identify and accommodate those needs and coordinate appropriate medical care."

Prior federal complaints have alleged deliberate indifference to medical needs or failures to monitor inmates at the Mecklenburg County jail, and some have been settled. One recent case involves video showing staff took at least 70 minutes to respond to an inmate dying of an overdose; that inmate's family is also suing the sheriff and other jail staff.