WALKER COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — A nurse who formerly worked at the Walker County Jail has pleaded guilty in the wake of the death of an inmate nearly two years ago, a case that has resulted in several people pleading guilty to medical neglect he suffered before he died.
Daniel Wyers, a psychiatric nurse who was contracted to work at the jail from an outside party, has entered an agreement to plead guilty to deprivation of rights following the death of Anthony "Tony" Mitchell, who died January 26, 2023 at a nearby hospital after, what his family claims, was inhumane treatment at the jail for the couple of weeks he was there.
Mitchell had been arrested on January 13, 2023 after allegedly firing a gun at an officer during a wellness check. According to a lawsuit his family filed after his death, Mitchell was allegedly mistreated at the jail for days, keeping him in isolation, sometimes in a cold place. On January 26, he lost consciousness and police took him to a nearby hospital, where he later died. A coroner's report indicated that the 33-year-old's death was the result of hypothermia--his internal temperature when he arrived at the hospital was 72 degrees-- as well as sepsis and "medical neglect."
In his agreement, Wyers claimed that in the time Mitchell was there, he never performed a mental health screening on him. Wyers said he was unable to because jail guards routinely denied him access to Mitchell, claiming he was "too combative," despite Wyers not seeing any signs of that.
Nonetheless, Wyers admitted that he would falsely claim in his notes that prison guards would not remove Mitchell from his cell due to his "combative behavior." Wyers claimed he feared retaliation if he tried to check on Mitchell because he feared retaliation from jail staff.
"Specifically, defendant WYERS was reluctant to take any steps that could be construed as providing assistance to Individual # 1 for fear that Jail command staff would ask Medical Contractor to move defendant WYERS to a different jail, further from his home, which might create an inconvenient commute for him," Wyers' plea agreement stated.
Since Mitchell's death, several former guards have pleaded guilty to deprivation of rights.
According to his LinkedIn page, Wyers had worked as a psychiatric nurse practitioner for The Hawkins Group since February 2022 and previously for Northwest Alabama Psychiatric Services. He received his doctor of nursing practice degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2016.
Wyers is facing up to a year in prison and a fine of no more than $100,000.
Read Wyers' full plea agreement here: