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Police instructors say deputies were right to strap man into chair By DANI DODGE Deputies were right to strap a sick man into the jail's restraint chair for more than 10 hours, defensive tactics instructors testified Friday. "(The restraint chair) is a humane way to control people to prevent injury," said Howard Webb, who taught at the state's police academy 11 years. "It was appropriate level of force to use and the appropriate thing to do." The trial so far What : The family of former Jackson County Jail inmate, Jeffrey Stuart Anderson, is bringing suit against the county in federal court for excessive use of force and wrongful death. Facts : Anderson turned himself into the jail on April 2, 1996, for a probation violation. He had been convicted of driving while under the influence of intoxicants and had not completed the education portion of his sentence. While in the jail, he suffered severe alcohol withdrawal. He was put in the county's restraint chair for 10 hours and 22 minutes. He was taken to the hospital on April 7, with severe bruises on his arms, legs, neck, and a fatal blood clot in his brain. He died May 2, after life support was discontinued. Friday : The county called to the stand two doctors, a Seattle jail deputy who teaches defensive tactics, and the director of Montana's police academy. Monday : The case is expected to conclude with testimony from deputies and Sheriff Bob Kennedy. The judge expects closing arguments in the afternoon. Webb, now director of the Helena Law Enforcement Academy in Montana, said deputies did what they were trained to do when Jeffrey Stuart Anderson began screaming and pounding on his cell door five years ago. They went into the cell and after a scuffle, handcuffed Anderson and then put him in the chair. "They have a responsibility to maintain discipline in the facility," Webb said. But Anderson's family doesn't agree - they are suing the county alleging Anderson was brutalized and then not given proper medical attention. Anderson, 33, died after developing a blood clot the size of a baseball while in the jail. The county continued its defense Friday, the fifth day of the trial. Earlier in the week, a doctor and a medical examiner said that Anderson developed the fatal blood clot because of blunt trauma - meaning his head collided with a hard surface. Friday, though, two doctors testified that Anderson's blood clot was most likely the result of a "spontaneous bleed." Thomas Purtzer, the neurosurgeon who operated on Anderson's brain, said the consistency of the blood clot led him to believe the bleed started between six and 24 hours before Anderson was taken to the hospital: 9:45 a.m. April 7. Anderson was in the restraint chair, often hallucinating, constantly pulling on his steel restraints and violently struggling from 11:58 p.m. April 5, until 10:20 a.m. April 6. While the jury was out of the courtroom, an FBI agent testified that the deputies did not breach Anderson's civil rights when they took him down in his cell and then put him in the chair. "Excessive force was not used in this case," said John L. Ferreira, who had investigated Anderson's parents' civil rights complaint. Federal Judge John P. Cooney decided not to allow Ferreira to testify in front of the jury. He said the testimony simply duplicated what deputies already have testified. Also while the jury was out Friday, the judge admonished the sheriff to make clear deputies are not to contact witnesses. The ex-wife of a doctor who testified for the family reported to the family's attorney that she had gotten a phone call from a deputy Thursday. "(The deputy) asked what did Dr. Lloyd have against police officers," attorney Foster Glass reported to the judge. "She said he doesn't have anything against police officers. He likes police officers." "This is basically tampering with a witness." The judge addressed Sheriff Bob Kennedy, who has been sitting at the defense table through the trial. "I will at this time caution the defendant to take steps to discourage any contact between the sheriff's deputies and witnesses in this case," Cooney said. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.