Sebastian County Quorum Court votes to pay $3 million to settle inmate death lawsuit

FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Sebastian County Quorum court voted on August 20 to settle a lawsuit over an inmate who died in the Sebastian County County Jail in 2021.

The court agreed to pay $3 million to the family of Larry Price, Jr.

According to the lawsuit price, suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. He was arrested four years ago after having a mental health episode while talking with law enforcement officers.

The lawsuit says he spent the next year in the county jail often in solitary confinement. About a year after his arrest, he was found unresponsive lying in a pool of water and urine. The autopsy found his cause of death was acute dehydration and malnutrition.

“We were looking at what’s the best for the taxpayers and the family,” said Sebastian County Judge Steve Hotz. “This puts it all to bed. It’s just a sad incident, and we just want to move forward and make changes so that things like this won’t happen again.”

The county quorum court also discussed the Parrot Island lease agreement at the meeting. It approved an amendment after two revisions.

The amendment says if the park happens to close in the future, the city of Fort Smith would have to take on the closing expenses. The amendment also says if the park wanted to expand past its current borders on the land it’s leasing, the quorum court would have to approve it.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.