The widow of a Wyoming County man who died while in custody of the Genesee County jail has filed paperwork that paves the way for a possible lawsuit against Genesee County, the Democrat & Chronicle reported this morning.
A doctor who was treating Nikko Gambino questions whether Gambino -- who changed his name at some point from Robert Goering -- was given safe access to his prescription medication.
"When somebody is incarcerated you have a responsibility to avoid doing things to them that are going to lead to them dying," said (Dr. Thomas) Walters, a physician based in Livonia. "This is a predictable, preventable death."
Whether Walters' belief is true — namely, that negligence contributed to Gambino's death — could be answered by his autopsy. That autopsy, which would include toxicology results, has yet to be finalized, according to a Genesee County coroner.
As is required in all in-custody deaths, the NYS Commission of Corrections is conducting its own investigation into Gambino's death.
Gambino's wife, Holly Gambino, last month filed a notice of intent to sue the county, alleging in court papers that the death was caused "by withdrawal and other illnesses from medications wrongfully and negligently withheld and/or disallowed by the Jail."
Gambino first made the news locally when he was arrested in September 2010 for impersonating federal law enforcement agents.
He was serving an intermittent sentence in July on that conviction when he was arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs into the jail in a body cavity.
The D&C article says some or all of those drugs were his own prescription medication, which he was allegedly not being allowed to lawfully bring into the jail.
County officials were not able to comment on the case because of possible pending litigation.
history buffs - was Goering
history buffs - was Goering really a better choice for a last name?
@JT Well Goering was always
@JT Well Goering was always the least assholish of the top Nazi officials, consolation prize though that is. He never pushed for any of the genocidal practices the Nazis carried out, although he never went so far as to oppose them when it would have put his own career at risk, and he seems to have been generally much more interested in fighting good ol' fashioned wars than in murdering civilians.
His brother Albert Goering on the other hand, saved many Jewish Europeans.
http://www.auschwitz.dk/albert.htm
"Why, of course, the people don't want war ... the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. " - Hermann Goering
Hmmm, was he taking them or
Hmmm, was he taking them or just selling them?