Public defender: Richland County jail understaffing ‘dire’

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The top public defender for the county that includes South Carolina’s capital city has called understaffing at the area’s jail “dire” following the recent death of a pre-trial inmate.

The State newspaper reports that 5th Circuit public defender Fielding Pringle made those comments in a statement issued last week about the Richland County jail.

Lason Butler was found dead in his jail cell on Feb. 12. Officials have not released an official cause of death but have said there did not appear to be signs of trauma.

Attorneys representing Butler’s family have said that he died alone in his cell and that it was hours before his body was discovered.