Family Sues Harnett County Sheriff, Jail Staff After Inmate’s Death in Cell Following Alleged Mismanagement
Lillington, NC – The family of a deceased Harnett County inmate has initiated legal action against local law enforcement officials, alleging negligence and civil rights violations inside the jail that led to the inmate’s untimely death from a violent cellmate encounter last year. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the late William Earl Surles, who was 64 at the time of his death in December 2022. Surles’ family contends that their patriarch’s death was both unnecessary and avoidable, accusing Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats along with jail deputies and the county’s insurer of failing … Read more