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Federal Judge Approves Settlement In Man's 2017 Death At Forsyth County Jail

The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Law Enforcement Detention Center. WFDD/PAUL GARBER

A confidential settlement has been reached in the death of a Winston-Salem man at the Forsyth County jail over three years ago. 

The settlement is related to the lawsuit filed on behalf of 41-year-old Stephen Antwan Patterson, who was one of two men who died at the jail in 2017.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder approved the settlement but sealed the financial disclosure to protect the privacy of Patterson's children, three of whom are minors.

A wrongful death lawsuit in the case of Deshawn Lamont Coley is still pending.

The two deaths drew attention to Correct Care Solutions, now known as Wellpath, which is responsible for health care at the Forsyth County Jail.

According to the lawsuit, medical personnel at the jail failed to treat Patterson's high blood pressure, which led to his death. Correct Care argued Patterson's death was primarily caused by pre-existing conditions.

Forsyth Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough tells the Winston-Salem Journal he doesn't have much choice when it comes to a health care provider for the jail, calling Wellpath “the only game in town.”

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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