Jerod Draper

Jerod Draper (June 30, 1978 - October 4, 2018) was an American man who died in custody of Harrison County Jail. The circumstances of his death are often cited as an example of police brutality in the United States. Draper was featured in the documentary Safe Place, an investigative series into over 300 deaths that took place in Southern Indiana jails between 2010 and 2020.

Draper had ingested methamphetamine prior to his arrest for fleeing a traffic stop. While incarcerated, he began showing symptoms of a methamphetamine overdose. Guards stripped him naked and placed him in a medical isolation cell. When his condition worsened, he was placed in a restraint chair where guard Sgt. Matt Hulsey and jail nurse Michael Gregory tased him seven times in 15 minutes, stepped on his bare feet, and applied pain compliance techniques.

Harrison County Sheriff's Office initially refused to release surveillance video, but after successful appeal by journalists from IndyStar, footage was released showing officers placing the taser directly over Draper's heart. The Indiana State Police did not conduct an investigation into his death, and Draper's family settled a lawsuit after Harrison County Prosecutor Otto Schalk declined to prosecute any of the officers involved. The coroner ruled his death as an overdose.

References

  1. 1 2 "Indiana Jail Deaths | Jerod Draper". Indianapolis Star. 2021.
  2. ↑ "Jerod Draper | The Record". The Marshall Project. 2023-01-31.
  3. ↑ Rothrock, Sadie (2025). "Unconcerned and Undertrained: The Indiana Jail Death Epidemic and the Need for Expanded Jail Officer Training". Indiana Law Journal. 100 (2): 819–860. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  4. ↑ Porter, Jenny (2023-01-31). "Jail death highlighted by IndyStar featured in new short documentary". The Indianapolis Star.
  5. ↑ "IndyStar investigates inmate death inside Harrison County Jail". Fox 59. Indianapolis. 2021-12-09. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01.
  6. ↑ Martin, Ryan; Evans, Time (2021-12-08). "Jailers 'brutalized' a dying man in an Indiana jail. A prosecutor says it wasn't a crime". Indianapolis Star.
  7. ↑ Sanders, Keith; Tschirhart, Benjamin (2022-07-15). "$1 Million Paid After Indiana Jailers Fatally Beat and Taser Detainee, But Prosecutor Finds No Crime". Prison Legal News.
  8. ↑ Mirpoorian, Sam (2023-01-31). "Opinion | Authorities Used a Taser on Him 7 Times in 15 Minutes. Then He Died. Justice Never Came". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  9. ↑ Martinez, Natalia (2022-05-19). "No investigation after man tased repeatedly, eventually died in Harrison Co. jail". WAVE.
  10. ↑ Charlton, John; Ash, Andrea (2018-11-29). "Wrongful death lawsuit filed after inmate died in custody". WHAS-TV.