Lawsuit filed against Olmsted County for man who died in custody during 2023
A federal lawsuit has been filed against Olmsted County Adult Detention Center on behalf of a man who died while in custody in 2023.
According to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS sister station KAAL, 59-year-old Melvin Bush died in March of 2023 when deputies discovered he was not breathing during routine wellness checkups, with the cause of death being ruled a “natural medical event” by the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.
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Bush was arrested on suspicion of violating a no-contact order and was being detained at the jail.
The lawsuit states that Bush’s death was caused by “acute complications of a perforated duodenal ulcer.”
The lawsuit alleges that Bush was not prescribed the correct medical care by Advanced Correctional Healthcare (ACH). It states that Bush disclosed he suffered from high blood pressure and was taking suboxone when he was booked, but he was prescribed a “cocktail of mild withdrawal medications” without suboxone being included.
The lawsuit also alleges that bodycam footage that captured evidence of the event was “either destroyed or has gone missing.”
According to the lawsuit, Bush began to suffer from “spontaneous and intense stomach pain” on March 5 and refused his withdrawal medications, allegedly not wanting to even get out of bed. Later that morning, Bush called to inform deputies about the intense pain, saying “he needed to see a doctor ASAP.”
The lawsuit says a nurse was called to Bush’s cell and learned that Bush had been vomiting bile but did not document a complete abdominal examination before diagnosing him with withdrawal symptoms.
After the nurse left, Bush allegedly continued to suffer and cried for help for several hours before his death later that afternoon.
The lawsuit alleges that ACH “has a long and troubling history of failing to meet constitutional standards of care for individuals in custody.”
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS sister station KAAL reached out to the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, but they did not immediately provide a comment.