Civil suit filed over incidents alleged in jail

Jail overcrowding and supervision and training of employees are allegations contained in a lawsuit filed yesterday in the Oconee Common Pleas Court.  The complaint on behalf of Christopher Wade Prichard, identified as an Oconee jail inmate in 2021, names the Oconee Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Crenshaw, in his official capacity, as defendants.  The lawsuit claims that Prichard, while in jail custody, sustained a severe spider bite in July 2021 and received “only minimal medical attention.”  It also alleges Prichard was the victim of an assault by another detainee and that sheriff’s employees were not properly monitoring what happened.  Damages are sought.  By this morning, Sheriff Crenshaw said he had not been served with the complaint and hasn’t seen a copy of the lawsuit.