The family of a man who died while in the custody of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office have reached a $2 million settlement in a wrong death lawsuit.
William Joseph “Josey” Martin, of Bardstown, was 37-years-old when he died on December 17, 2022, as Spring View Hospital in Lebanon, according to his obituary.
His death, WDRB.com reports, was ruled a “homicide caused by asphyxia due to law enforcement use of force,” according to the medical examiner’s report.
Martin had been arrested on December 16, 2022, on a public intoxication charge and was tased multiple times, along with being pepper sprayed. Additionally, a Marion County deputy knelt with his knee on Martin’s head and neck until he became unresponsive.
Marion County will pay $1.6 million to Martin’s family, and the city of Lebanon will pay $412,500, the Martin family attorney Greg Simms told WDRB.com.
The three deputies involved in the arrest, Tristan Hayden, Chris Nelson and John Robert Purdom, have not faced disciplinary action and remain on the job.
(Photo: William Joseph “Josey” Martin, courtesy of Mattingly Funeral Home)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
