After attempted suicide in KY jail, man faces decades in prison. Family says he needs help
A Kentucky man is facing what could result to a life sentence after he set fire to an isolation cell in an Owensboro jail in what he claims was an attempted suicide.
Christopher Katz, 26, has been incarcerated at the Daviess County Detention Center since December on a wide range of charges. A month into his confinement, Katz allegedly set fire to his cell, resulting in 4-foot flames and the need for other inmates to be evacuated.
He now faces an arson charge – which carries a potential penalty of 20 years – and 16 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment because of the blaze, court records say.
His family is sounding the alarm on what they believe was a severe mental health episode caused by lack of access to proper psychotropic medication that led to his attempted suicide and rapid disintegration of his mental health.
“Knowing how much potential he has, and being so far away, breaks my heart,” Katz’s mother, Elizabeth Harding, said in an interview with the Herald-Leader. “They think the jail is bad, but his own mind is a prison of his own without help.”
But jail officials in Owensboro say Katz has received proper medical care, and the potential punishment he’s facing is justified.
“We deemed that to be appropriate charges because of those placed in danger, and because the situation was consistent with arson,” said Art Maglinger, the jailer of the Daviess County Detention Center.
Family claims son went without proper mental health treatment
Katz has been in and out of the Owensboro facility on a myriad of occasions for drug possession, fleeing and evading police, theft of a vehicle, and other charges, according to court documents.
Katz’s family said while in jail, he was continually denied psychiatric care, medication adjustments and medical treatment for his “documented bipolar disorder.”
In a letter to the Department of Corrections, Katz’s family outlined more than a dozen incidents between December and May when Katz did not receive evaluations or medication changes.
“Throughout this time, Christopher was repeatedly placed in solitary confinement while his mental health continued to decline,” his sister, Tory-Lyn Katz, wrote in an email to the Department of Corrections. “Rather than receiving the level of mental health treatment his condition required, he continued to struggle with worsening symptoms, anxiety, racing thoughts, sleep deprivation, and emotional instability.”
On Jan. 6, Katz was in an isolation cell when jail deputies noticed smoke coming from inside. Flames from the fire — created with sheets and a battery — rose to 4 feet and had to be put out by deputies with multiple fire extinguishers, according to documents obtained through the Kentucky Open Records Act.
The several responding deputies extracted Katz from the cell, as well as seven other inmates nearby. They extinguished the flames and called the fire department. While being taken from isolation, deputies reported Katz bragged to other inmates that he “set fire to the hole,” and “almost burnt the jail down.”
‘A pretty intense scene’
Maglinger said it wasn’t until later that Katz said he started the fire as an attempted suicide.
While he didn’t speak to specifics of Katz’s treatment, which he said are protected by HIPAA laws, he said all inmates receive proper care, including for their mental health.
He said he had spoken with Katz’s sister and mother, and understood their concerns.
“The reports (of the fire) were well documented and after the fire he was laughing about it and bragging about it,” Maglinger told the Herald-Leader. “It wasn’t until a day later he expressed he was trying to commit suicide. I can’t judge his heart, and I understand (mental health claims) would be the only defense he would have for putting people in danger. But it was a pretty intense scene.”
Five of Maglinger’s deputies who responded to the fire were recognized as “deputies of the year.” In a social media post that recognized the deputies, there was no mention that Katz had attempted suicide.
Harding called it a “publicity stunt” by the jail, and said her son continues to express suicidal ideation.
Katz’s family appealed to Department of Corrections administrators, including Commissioner Cookie Crews and the justice ombudsman. They were hopeful when they received a reply.
But Crews’ response said she could not speak to Katz’s sister about medical information because he had not signed a medical release for access. The commissioner further advised that the family “talk to your love (sic) one and encourage him to get help,” according to emails obtained through the Kentucky Open Records Act.
“Remember he can refuse,” Crews wrote.
“I don’t know him so I can’t really give advise (sic),” Crews added in the email. “I know this doesn’t really help but I think if you talk to him you can get your questions answered.”
Harding said her son is “hanging on by a thread.” She fears that continuing conversations with the department and jail actually makes her son’s situation more dire.
“The system is broken,” Harding said. “The system was meant to rehabilitate people and to get them out. But it is basically a program where people go back over and over again because they don’t know how to go back to society.”
Department of Corrections spokesperson Morgan Hall said Katz is not a state inmate, so the department doesn’t have authority over his care.
However, the department does employ jail inspectors to make sure they are adhering to state standards placed by DOC, but that role “is limited.”
“Jail inspectors do not direct clinical care, prescribe or change medication, or substitute their judgment for that of medical or mental health professionals,” Hall said in an emailed statement to the Herald-Leader.
Hall pointed out that despite Katz not being a state inmate, Crews communicated with the family within five minutes of receiving their email on a Saturday.
“Over the course of several emails, Commissioner Crews provided the family with information and suggestions regarding available avenues to raise their concerns,” Hall said.
Maglinger said there are challenges when jails or prisons become a de facto mental health institution.
“When they are in a confined setting, they can deteriorate,” Maglinger said. “But from a big picture perspective, what does (offering mental health treatment) look like practically? People will argue we are doing too much, and others will argue that we are doing too little.”
Nicki Fentress, the jail’s medical team administrator, said the jail is designed to be a temporary facility that often isn’t capable of offering the services each inmate needs. For example, jail funds aren’t able to cover the costs of inmate’s medication.
“We are just the middle man,” Fentress said. “I really do wish we could do more for the mental health of inmates, but our hands are tied. We are doing the best we can with what we have, and sometimes it is not enough.”
Katz, who still was held at the Daviess County Detention Center Wednesday, is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 8 for his new charges. As of Wednesday morning, Harding said her son had been taken out of suicide watch and isolation, but continues to rapidly decline.
