EL PASO COUNTY — El Paso County has paid $2.5 million in a settlement to the family of a man found dead in his El Paso County Jail cell in April 2022, according to attorneys.
48-year-old Cristo Canett was booked into the jail after attorneys said he went to a local emergency room for stomach pain. Attorneys said Canett notified the halfway house where he was living that he was at the hospital, but an "escape" warrant was entered. Attorneys said several Colorado Springs Police officers arrested Canett at the emergency room before he was treated by a doctor.
Attorneys for Canett's estate said a nurse with Wellpath, the jail's private medical contractor at the time, sent the man to a general population cell despite him raising concerns about severe abdominal pain. Canett died in his cell within 24 hours due to internal bleeding cause by an ulcer in his intestine, according to attorneys.
In May 2023, the law firm Holland, Holland Edwards & Grossman, LLC filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wellpath, the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners, El Paso County Sheriff Joe Roybal, three Wellpath providers, and one Colorado Springs Police officer. On Wednesday, attorneys for Canett's estate announced the county had paid a settlement of $2.5 million.
News5 reached out to El Paso County, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, and Wellpath for comment on the settlement. We have not yet received a response at the time of publishing this article.
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