Family of man who hanged himself in city jail sues city of Joplin, Police Department, City Jail personnel

The family of a Joplin man who committed suicide while being held in the Joplin City Jail filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Jasper County Circuit Court alleging negligence by the city of Joplin, Joplin Police Department and jail employees.

The lawsuit claims jail employees did not do enough to protect Nicholas Bartlett, 21, (pictured) when he hanged himself in the city jail September 16. Filing the lawsuit were Bartlett's father, Jackie Bartlett, and his daughter. The Bartletts are represented by Joplin attorney Brian Glades.

Listed as defendants, in addition to the city, Joplin Police Department and Joplin City Jail are jail administrator Mark St. Peter and jailers Ysabella Blunk, Christopher Cunningham, Christopher Means and Gelen Reyes.

From the petition:

On September 15, 2023, the late Nicholas Bartlett was arrested into the custody of the Joplin Police Department, and transferred to the Joplin City Jail in Joplin, Missouri. (He) was booked into Joplin City Jail at or about 20:38 hours on September 15, 2023, for Domestic Assault, Resisting Arrest, and three Failure to Appear Warrants. 

The arresting officer informed jail staff that Bartlett was suicidal and was causing self-harm by scratching his chest with a knife. Jail Supervisor, Christopher Cunningham, determined that (he) should be placed on suicide watch once he stopped answering questions during booking. 

Bartlett was placed in a smock on suicide watch and detained inside holding cell E in the Joplin City Jail. Jail employee, Ysabella Blunk, was assigned the duty and responsibility of conducting suicide watch checks according to suicide protocols on the late Nicholas Bartlett.

On September 16, 2023, at or about 00:11 hours, employee Blunk noticed Bartlett in the same position in his cell for two consecutive checks. On September 16, 2023, at or about 00:11 hours, employee Blunk noticed the phone cord hanging down towards Bartlett in his cell. 

On September 16, 2023, at or about 00:11 hours, employee Blunk opened the door to cell E in the Joplin City Jail and found Bartlett hanging from the phone cord in his cell. When (he) was found hanging in his jail cell, Jailer Means and Jailer Reyes unwrapped the phone cord from his neck to free him. 

Jailer Means then began life saving measures. METS and Joplin Fire Department arrived at the Joplin City Jail and took over CPR. Bartlett was transported to Freeman Hospital by METS where he was pronounced deceased at 01:15 hours on September 16, 2023, by medical staff. 

Upon reviewing the video footage of E Cell in the Joplin City Jail, Nicholas Bartlett was standing by the left, stainless steel phone at about 22:00 hours. Upon further review of the video footage of E Cell in the Joplin City Jail, at approximately 22:11 hours, Bartlett allowed for his body to relax to the extent that he was suspended by the phone cord as it was wrapped around his neck. 

That jail staff entered E Cell in the Joplin City Jail at or about 00:11 hours, approximately two hours after Bartlett allowed for his body to relax to the extent that he was suspended by the phone cord as it was wrapped around his neck.  

Defendants had a duty to attend to the safety of jail inmates, including the duty to establish policies, procedures, and protocols in the event of suicide watch. Proper suicide watch protocol mandates employees’ duty for a Joplin City Jail inmate to be checked on every 15 minutes. 

On September 16, 2023, reviewing the sign in sheet hanging on the E Cell door in the Joplin City Jail, it was revealed that Jailer Blunk logged one check on the late Nicholas Bartlett at 21:37 hours on September 15, 2023. One more logged check on Bartlett occurred at 00:00 hours on September 16, 2023.

Employees’ failure to observe proper policies, procedures, and protocols in the event of suicide watch, breached a departmentally mandated duty of the Joplin City Jail. The conduct described herein violated clearly established internal policies at the Joplin City Jail of which every reasonably competent person in Defendant Employees’ respective positions would have or should have been aware.

The first count alleges negligence by St. Peter, Cunningham, Blunk, Means and Reyes. The same five are cited in the second count, negligent supervision.

A third count alleges negligent supervision by the city, police department and jail, as well as the employees.

The fourth count alleges Joplin City Jail is responsible for Bartlett's death through the acts and failure to act of its employees.

The Bartletts are asking for damages and reasonable punitive damages "to serve to punish and deter defendants and others from future conduct such as that described herein.

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