Clyde Spencer
Clyde Spencer, 58, was unhoused, and his attorney said he felt more comfortable in jail because he knew he could get his heart medication there. He died in early October 2021 in the medical unit of the Arlington County Detention Facility, three days after he was placed there. He was found unresponsive, taken to Virginia Hospital Center, and pronounced dead about 12 hours after he was first found unconscious. The Arlington County Police Department says his cause of death is unknown and that an autopsy has been ordered, and the Northern Virginia Critical Incident Response Team is investigating. In a letter, the NAACP says he had a heart condition and depended on alcohol, that jail staff could have known this, and that he was among men who died after being denied adequate medical and mental health care.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (neglect alleged). The NAACP letter says Clyde Spencer was denied adequate medical and mental health care, and that jail staff could have known of his heart condition and alcohol dependence.
Reported by: Arlington County Police Department (the agency that held him); NAACP letter (advocates).
News reports (4)
- Arlington NAACP frustration grows after the death of another inmate
- Arlington County To End Contract With Jail Health Care Provider After Incarcerated Person Died
- NAACP asks for civil rights investigation of Arlington County jail
- Arlington NAACP Requests A Department Of Justice Investigation Into The County’s Jail