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Calls for Fulton County Jail probe after beating
The family of an inmate charged in the recent Fulton County Jail attack claims the justice system has failed them. The family of Shania White says their loved one was suffering from mental illness so badly, even they were afraid of her. They join the chorus of people calling for the jail to be further investigated.
ATLANTA - The family of an inmate accused in a violent attack at the Fulton County Jail says the system failed her and ignored repeated warnings about her mental health.
What we know:
Shania White, 27, is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery and tampering with evidence after deputies discovered an attack on another inmate, 20-year-old Tyrianna Ledbetter, last Tuesday.
What they're saying:
Her aunt, Tiffany Patton, said she told jail and court officials that White was mentally ill but no one listened. "Y'all got to put her in the hospital. She needs help. I am afraid for her in my house. I am afraid for me and my son. What do you think is wrong? She's hearing things. You can see something is attacking her," Patton said.
Patton, 42, said she loves her niece but feared for her own safety as White’s mental illness worsened. She said White often used drugs to mask her condition and had been hospitalized more than five times since moving to Atlanta last November. White gave birth to a baby in July, just days before being booked into the Fulton County Jail. Patton is now raising the baby and plans to adopt her.
Patton believes jail officials should never have housed White with another inmate struggling with mental illness. "I’m hurt for both of them because that's mental health mixed with mental health and y'all put them in a box together. That's like mixing oil and water. What do you think is gonna happen?" she said.
She said she only learned about the attack by watching FOX 5 news. "Still to this day, nobody reached out and told me nothing," Patton said. "They faulted her for what she did, now who gets the fault for what they didn't do because somebody failed somewhere. I feel in my heart that it took a long time for them to even realize something went wrong here. Where were y'all? Who’s gonna punish y'all now?"
What's next:
The family wants the Justice Department or another outside agency to investigate conditions inside the jail. A spokesperson for Sheriff Patrick Labat’s office said the agency had answered all the questions it planned to answer regarding the ongoing investigation.
The Source: FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor talked to the families of both suspect inmate Shania White and suspect victim Tyriana Ledbetter, as well as a spokesperson for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and sources.