LaRue County Jail sued for man’s death

HODGENVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday claims the LaRue County Detention Center assaulted and later ignored a suicidal man.

The claim comes after the death of Dalton Milby, 27, while in custody in February 2022.

The lawsuit names some of the jail’s employees directly, claiming they failed Milby as he was in their care while also violating his civil rights.

According to the lawsuit the employees at the jail knew Milby was suicidal from a previous attempt, and that he was under severe distress.

The documents state Milby was not only treated cruelly but was also assaulted, battered and taunted.

Milby was left in a regular jumpsuit, the documents state, which is a violation given the jumpsuits are often used in suicide attempts. He was offered no medical help to prevent Milby from taking his own life.

The lawsuit claims staff ignored the problem and did not properly supervise Milby who was a great risk of injury, missing opportunities to save his life.

Milby’s family attorney, Trenton Burns, provided a statement to WAVE News on Tuesday afternoon:

“It’s devastating to think that if everyone at Larue County Detention Center did their job, if they had just done the absolute bare minimum, this doesn’t happen. We wouldn’t have four young kids growing up without their loving father. We wouldn’t have a mother grieving the loss of her 27 year old son, or a loving family left picking up the pieces and asking questions for which there are no good answers. It’s devastating, and it’s tragic. But it’s beyond that. It’s infuriating. It’s infuriating that these folks at the jail, the ones who were responsible for ensuring that Dalton got the treatment and the care that he so desperately needed, had actual knowledge of what he was going through and yet they dismissed and ignored him. It speaks volumes about the culture of LCDC – a culture of deliberate indifference to those they are sworn to serve and protect.”

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