Cherokee County Jail Beating Lawsuit Settled After 5 Years Of Litigation

Cherokee County spent five years fighting a lawsuit, only to agree this week to settle it by paying $1.5 million to a man who was badly beaten inside the jail.

News On 6 first reported on the case 2011, and together with our partner The Frontier, we have been following the developments.

Daniel Bosh has since passed away, but we first met him when he'd been arrested for unpaid fines.

He walked with a cane and had rods and screws in his neck and back. He said he could no longer work or play with his two boys, who were five and two at the time. Bosh's attorneys say surveillance video shows Bosh telling the jailer his handcuffs were too tight, and after the two exchanged words, the jailer smashed Bosh's face into the desk, then slammed him to the floor.

At the time, Bosh told us this: “I suffered a burst fracture, which means my vertebrae exploded and pieces of my spine lodged into my spinal cord."

1/28/2016 Related Story: After Years Of Fighting, Cherokee County Officials Settle Jail Beating Suit

A second video shows Bosh in a jail jumpsuit being led from the jail's shower area.

He said another jailer punched him in the face off-camera then lied on a booking sheet, saying Bosh was being combative and was going to spit on them.

His attorneys say, out of retaliation, the jailers didn't take Bosh to the hospital for two days, even though he had a crushed vertebrae.

Bosh sued and the lawsuit has been in the federal court system all these years.

Our investigative partners, The Frontier learned some video evidence was destroyed and the judge sanctioned Cherokee County leaders for not showing up for court hearings.

The county then tried to get the case dismissed after Bosh died of heart disease in 2014.

But the judge ruled the case could continue for Bosh's family and two sons.

So $600,000 of the settlement comes from the county and $900,000 will be paid by the county's insurance, which means taxpayers are footing the bill.

After Bosh's arrest, the Cherokee County District Attorney declined to charge him with a crime or the jailers.

For additional details, you read The Frontier’s investigation by clicking here