Report: Drug overdose caused man's death

Source: The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.迷利倉Jan. 09--A fatal combination of cocaine and PCP was responsible for the death of a man who collapsed in Lynchburg police custody last summer, according to a report released by the commonwealth's attorney Wednesday afternoon.No officers will be charged in relation to the death of Levon DeShawn Martin, stated the report by Lynchburg Commonwealth's Attorney Mike Doucette. Martin died Aug. 21, one day after he crumpled in officers' care.On Wednesday, Doucette and Police Chief Parks Snead also addressed concerns they have heard from the community about the investigation including whether officers had the right to pursue Martin when they went to serve a warrant on another man; why it took five months to reach a decision; whether it was appropriate for Doucette to investigate the police in the same city he serves; and if officers used Tasers or other weapons on Martin.Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Gail Suzuki concluded Martin's death was an accidental overdose of cocaine and PCP but noted Martin also had marijuana in his system at the time of his death. A blood test performed at Lynchburg General Hospital when Martin was admitted also showed evidence of the three illegal drugs, as well as alcohol, Doucette's report states.He posited Martin was in possession of drugs when police arrived on Tulip Street to serve an arrest warrant on Kenneth Ford."Thinking the officers would find the drugs on him and arrest him, Martin took off running. As he ran through the woods, he ate the drugs so they would not be found on him or along his flight path," Doucette wrote of his proposed scenario.He offers several supporting arguments for this conclusion: Martin had been convicted of drug offenses in 2003, 2006 and 2008; witnesses stated Martin was in possession of drugs the night he collapsed; and no drugs were found on him when he was searched.The commonwealth's attorney's 11-page report gives a detailed account of officers' foot pursuit of Martin.During the chase, an officer released a police dog, which found Martin after he stumbled in a wooded area behind Tulip Street. The dog sat by Martin until officers caught up, but did not touch him, the report states.When Officer Gary Abbott reached Martin, he asked if Martin was hurt, but Martin said no, Doucette wrote. Then Abbott asked why he ran."I don't know. I just saw the police and got scared," the officer remembered Martin saying.Several officers led a handcuffed Martin toward the street to confirm his identity. On the walk back, Martin began to complain that he was tired and would stop to sit and lie down.Officers checked Martin's pulse but determined it was steady, and he showed no signs of distress other than heavy breathing, which the officers also experienced after running through the woods, the report states.After more than 20 minutes without sign of Martin or the police escorting him, officers went into the woods to check on them and urged Martin to hurry.Martin quickened briefly but then sat down, breathing heavily, and said he would go no farther. Officers thought he was being uncooperative, and four carried him across the wood line and into a yard.Martin, still breathing heavily, complained of nausea, so police called for an ambulance to evaluate him. About five minutes later Martin stopped speaking and responding to questions, so officers requested paramedics upgrade to the most urgent emergency response.When medics arrived Martin had stopped breathing and had no pulse. After performing CPR they measured a weak pulse and noted some respiration.Medics took Martin to Lynchburg General Hospital's emergency room. A hospital report shows Martin's family was concerned he had been beaten or otherwise injured before arriving, Doucette wrote."Dr. [John] Plankeel examined Martin and noted there were no obvious signs of significant trauma," the report states.Plankeel found "fairly minor b迷你倉uising" on both of Martin's upper arms and a "small abrasion" on one forearm. Grass and dirt was in his hair.The medical examiner noted Martin showed no sign of disease in his heart or other organs.As part of the report, Doucette listed accounts of the incident provided by neighbors who spoke with Lynchburg detectives or Special Agent Clay Overholt, who headed up the state police investigation.Many witnesses saw police arrive looking for "Kenny" Ford and watched their pursuit of Martin -- often referred to by his nickname "Fifty" -- behind the house. Several spoke of seeing an ambulance arrive and CPR being performed.One witness said he saw a black man being led out of the woods who "looked like he was falling asleep or passing out." Another man said Martin walked out of the woods with his hands in the air.No witness statements included in the report address what happened beyond the tree line.After reviewing the evidence and reports, Doucette decided not to press charges against the officers present when Martin collapsed."The LPD officers involved in the apprehension of Mr. Martin engaged in no criminal act toward him," Doucette wrote."Quite unfortunately, Mr. Martin's death was solely an accident. As soon as they realized that Mr. Martin was suffering from more than just the physical exertion of running away from them and climbing back out of the woods, the LPD officers took appropriate action to see that Mr. Martin received necessary emergency medical care."Doucette said he shared his report with Martin's family, but they did not believe his findings. "They were not happy," he said, though he declined to elaborate.When reached by phone, Martin's widow, Cassie Dawson-Martin, said she did not want to comment.After the release of the report, the commonwealth's attorney and police chief addressed some concerns raised during the investigation.Officers are within their right to pursue a person who flees from them, even if the person is someone other than the subject of their warrant, both explained.The chief noted Ford, the subject of the Tulip Street warrant, had a history of fleeing from police. When officers saw someone at his last known location run into a wooded area, they thought it might have been Ford, even though several neighbors have questioned the resemblance between him and Martin."However, even if officers knew it was not Ford they were chasing, they were justified in running after Martin," Doucette wrote, citing legal precedent.As to whether Tasers were used, Doucette noted all officers' weapons were collected, and their Taser microchips indicated none had been discharged during the incident.He believes neighbors saw paramedics connect wires from an EKG heart monitor to Martin and confused the medical equipment with a Taser wire.Doucette also addressed the "delay" between incident and completion of his report by saying the state police had to wait for Martin's toxicology report."We have very few toxicologists who work for the state, and they have a very huge backlog," he said.Finally, he addressed the decision to examine the case himself rather than request a special prosecutor from outside the area. Doucette said he has no personal bias for or against any of the officers involved. As the city's commonwealth's attorney, he said he is answerable to the community in a way an attorney from elsewhere in Virginia would not be.In a Wednesday afternoon interview, Snead said he hopes the incident will serve as a reminder to the community of the danger of drug use.He called Martin's death "a tragedy ... but it is an avoidable tragedy.""[It was] a life cut ... needlessly short through Martin's decisions and actions," Snead said."Just as if he put a loaded gun to his head and pulled the trigger."Copyright: ___ (c)2014 The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) Visit The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) at .newsadvance.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉