It happened after an incident with corrections officers Saturday night at the Orange County Jail—just two days after 37-year-old-old Jean Caleb Joseph was arrested.
In both the incident he was arrested and the incident that led to his death, authorities described Joseph as acting “erratically” and suffering from possible mental health episodes.
Saturday, staff says Joseph was talking incoherently and throwing water on his cell mate. Corrections staff tried to move him to a psychological observation cell, but staff says he started harming himself.
It was the incident that landed him in the Orange County Jail on charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer, resisting an officer, and disorderly conduct.
Orlando Police responded to a MetroWest apartment complex Thursday night. According to arrest records, officers found Joseph pouring water on his head. His clothes were soaked.
Earlier, Joseph was reportedly aggressive and throwing water at residents.
The report describes his sudden change in behavior around officers. Officers said Joseph fell to his knees and started yelling when they tried to reason with him to back away from a glass bottle. The report says he also held a boxer’s stance with fists up at them off and on throughout the incident.
At one point, officers said they were concerned he would harm a family member, so they attempted to restrain him.
The incident ended with an officer deploying a taser and “unintentionally striking him” because of Joseph’s “erratic movements.”
“It was clear that the gentleman was having a mental health episode,” said Randy Nelson, who has trained law enforcement the past 30 years.
Nelson pointed out two instances where officers noted in the report Joseph showing signs of mental health issues.
The report reads, “It should be noted that Joseph was exhibiting signs of mental health issues based on his unusual behavior, unusual statements and sudden erratic changes in his emotional state.”
“It begs several questions. First, could the decision have been made to Baker Act the gentleman?,” Nelson said.
Eyewitness News asked the Orlando Police Department Monday if Joseph was ever Baker Act-ed. The agency did not say in their statement back to us. However, the department noted he was cleared by the Fire Department before being transported to the jail.
There are several questions Eyewitness News is still working to answer including whether there was ever an attempt to Baker Act Joseph and why he was not originally placed in an observation cell.
We also do not know yet what defensive tactics staff used.
The Medical Examiner’s Office is still working to determine Joseph’s cause of death.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is also investigating the incident.
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