Wife of man who died in jail accepts $6,000 settlement

Court tile
Court tile

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The wife of a man who died in custody at the Kingsport City Jail has accepted a $6,000 settlement with the city.

The Kingsport Times-News reports that Judy Honaker, of Bristol, Virginia, had filed a lawsuit in 2015 after her husband, Benjamin McDowell Honaker, was found not breathing in his cell in September 2014.

Benjamin had had been charged with DUI the day before, following a car crash.

The lawsuit was filed against the city and two jail officers, accusing them of failing to provide adequate medical attention. It sought $1 million.

The TBI cleared Kingsport police of any wrongdoing, ruling it a drug overdose.

Attorney Earl Booze, who represented Kingsport, said the settlement was agreed to last month and paid the funeral expenses. The city admitted no wrongdoing.

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