New lawsuit alleges poor care inside county jail

A new lawsuit says Charleston County Jail staff missed repeated signs of a detainee’s worsening depression before he died by suicide in April 2024. (abcnews4.com) The case was filed by Shawn Kreider, acting for the estate of Forrest Michael Kreider, against the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, VitalCore Health Strategies and psychiatrist Meenakshi Parmar, according to a notice of intent to sue filed in Charleston County court. (abcnews4.com) Forrest Kreider, 33, was booked into the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center on Jan. 7, 2024, and died on April 24, 2024, after deputies found him unresponsive the day before and emergency crews restored a pulse before he was taken to the Medical University of South Carolina. (abcnews4.com) The lawsuit says Kreider asked on Feb. 12 to talk to a counselor, reported feeling helpless and depressed again on Feb. 19, was evaluated on April 22, diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed Remeron, with a follow-up set for six weeks later. (abcnews4.com) The filing says no enhanced monitoring followed that prescription, even though the medication carries a boxed warning for suicidal thoughts, and it alleges medical negligence, wrongful death and custodial failures. (abcnews4.com) The case lands after years of scrutiny at the Charleston jail over inmate health care. In November 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into conditions there, including medical care, mental health care, isolation and force. (justice.gov) Charleston County switched jail medical contractors in 2023, replacing Wellpath with VitalCore after county leaders weighed complaints and deaths tied to the earlier provider. The sheriff’s office website says VitalCore now provides all inmate medical services, including mental health care. (counton2.com, charlestoncounty.gov) Problems tied to jail health care did not end with that contract change. In March 2023, Charleston County sheriff’s officials released internal records showing detention staff had raised “grave concern” about the prior provider’s treatment of inmates and discussed emergency alternatives. (counton2.com) Other recent cases have kept pressure on the jail. In March 2026, lawyers for the family of 23-year-old Mary Brucato said they planned legal action after the coroner ruled her August 2025 death a homicide tied to medical neglect, and in September 2025 two detainees sued over alleged sexual abuse by a former jail doctor. (abcnews4.com, helpingsurvivors.org) Charleston County’s jail says medical staff are on site 24 hours a day and provide daily care, including mental health treatment. Kreider’s case will test whether those written standards matched the care he received before his death. (charlestoncounty.gov, abcnews4.com)