A Florida jail inmate is in critical condition after being “seriously injured” in an incident on Monday morning, according to Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters.
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“Out of an abundance of caution, eight corrections officers and one corrections sergeant have been removed from their positions and stripped of all their corrections authority,” Sheriff Waters detailed in a news conference Tuesday. “They will all remain in this status until the conclusion of this investigation.”
The specific events and location of the incident within the Pre-Trial Detention Facility on April 7 remain undisclosed as the investigation is ongoing. Authorities have also withheld the inmate’s identity and the circumstances leading to his incarceration, citing the individual’s privacy rights as the reason for maintaining confidentiality, according to Sheriff Waters.
However, the man’s family launched a GoFundMe campaign, identifying him as Charles Faggart—a dedicated father to a 6-year-old son and the chef behind Chop It Charlie’s food truck. They described him as “fighting for his life.”
“While the full details are still unfolding, one thing is clear — Charles was harmed while in a place where he should have been safe,” the GoFundMe reads.
The Inmate was Injured Severely Enough ‘For Me to Come Out Here and Tell the Public About It’, Sheriff Says
No arrests have been made. However, the inmate’s injuries were severe enough to prompt Sheriff Waters to inform the public, despite not providing specific details.
“I said critical,” he clarified when asked if the inmate was on life support. “That means the injuries are bad, very bad — bad enough for me to come out here and tell the public about it.”
According to The Tributary, Sheriff Waters requested that the man’s bond be reduced to allow his family to visit him in the hospital. Initially set at $5,003, the bond was ultimately removed, meaning he is no longer in custody, the report stated.
Charles Faggart was released from jail on Tuesday after being charged with assault and vandalism, according to jail records.
Belkis Plata, the attorney representing Faggart’s family, told The Tributary that they are still waiting for answers about what occurred inside the jail.
“He is currently on a ventilator and the prognosis is grim,” she added.
Meanwhile, Faggart’s GoFundMe has raised just over $3,000 dollars as of this writing.