(Jasper County, IN) - The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department is rebutting allegations that officers mistreated and possibly contributed to the death of a man during a medical call.

 

On September 8, Emergency Medical Technicians responded to a home in DeMotte, where 26-year-old Rhyker Earl was suffering a severe seizure. Unable to physically control him, EMTs asked for assistance from Sheriff’s deputies. Reports indicate that officers handcuffed Earl and placed him on the floor with a pillow under him. Earl became unresponsive and was transported to a local hospital, where he died two days later.

 

Earl’s family have retained Indianapolis attorney Stephen Wagner and national civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and are demanding accountability. Crump was co-counsel in the George Floyd wrongful death lawsuit. They each issued statements claiming that officers used excessive force before Earl lost consciousness and treated him more like a criminal than a patient. According to Wagner:

 

“Officers stayed on top of Rhyker for more than 15 minutes, with his face in a pillow. During this time, Rhyker begged for his life and screamed that he couldn't breathe. His pleas, and those of his aunt and grandmother, were ignored. After more than 15 minutes, Rhyker went limp. His aunt noticed that Rhyker was blue in the face and pleaded with EMTs to do something.”

 

On Thursday Jasper County Sheriff Pat Williamson issued a press release in response to Wagner’s claims. “In an apparent attempt to set the table for a civil claim, he has gaslit this community and the nation with gross falsehoods concerning the actions of our deputies,” Williamson said.

 

Upon reviewing police bodycam footage, Williamson said Earl was banging his head on the floor, and officers used a pillow for his safety. “His breathing was not restricted,” Williamson said. He added that pleas by Earl’s family were not ignored, and that officers relied on training to get Earl, who “was vocalizing during the entire incident,” into a safe position for medical treatment.

 

Indiana State Police are handling the investigation. Once they are able, Sheriff Williamson said they will release body-worn camera video of the incident. In the meantime, attorneys for Earl’s family have scheduled a press conference for Monday, September 23.

 

According to family, Rhyker Earl was born in Valparaiso and graduated from Kankakee Valley High School in 2016. He leaves behind two children.