Taxpayers in Tennessee may be stuck with a bill for close to $100,000 for dental work and legal fees after an inmate at a county jail had the gold grill cemented to his front teeth ripped off by a sheriff's deputy, according to a story in the Tennessean.
The November incident occurred when Anthony McCoy, in trouble for not paying child support, was ordered to remove his grill as he was being booked into jail. When he told the deputy the grill was permanently attached, she stuck her hand in his mouth and yanked it out, destroying the enamel on four of his front teeth, the Tennessean reported.
According to his attorney, McCoy "was spitting out blood and teeth into a trash can" and asked to see a dentist but was given Tylenol instead. It reportedly took 10 days before a dentist came to treat him, according to the story.
Local lawmakers said there was no policy against inmates having gold-plated teeth and that a new policy has been enacted that forbids deputies from removing them.
The county has offered McCoy a $95,000 settlement, including $10,000 for dental work and the rest for pain and suffering.
Copyright © 2010 DrBicuspid.com
