By C1 Staff
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — A former El Paso County jail inmate is suing the sheriff for lack of medical attention while he was incarcerated.
The Gazette reports that Christopher Spencer, who was shot while robbing an apartment, developed gangrene when his circulation was affected by the gunshot.
Spencer claims he lost all 10 toes and part of his left foot after deputies at the jail refused him medical attention. Two weeks after he was bailed out of jail by his family, all of his toes were amputated.
He also claimed that his brother, who was also incarcerated at the same facility during Spencer’s injury, care for him once they were both housed in the same unit.
A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office had not yet heard of the lawsuit. The suit names Sheriff Bill Elder as a defendant, who was not sheriff while Spencer was incarcerated. Elder replaced Sheriff Terry Maketa on Jan. 1. The suit references Maketa only by referring to Elder’s “predecessor.”
Spencer’s lawsuit seeks economic losses and compensatory, punitive and consequential damages, as well as attorney’s fees.
Spencer pleaded guilty to a burglary charge on Nov. 1, 2013 and was sentenced to jail time in early 2014. Other charges against him, including trespassing, burglary, robbery and attempted robbery charges, were dismissed by the district attorney.