Chaz Lowery, 26, originally from Baltimore, Maryland, previously of Waynesboro, and most recently living in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was found dead in his Lancaster County Prison cell just two days after his arrest, reigniting concerns over inmate treatment, excessive bail, and systemic failures within the local justice system. Now, activists and grieving families are demanding answers.
Lowery, who was listed as homeless in recent court records, was jailed on March 13 for drug possession charges in Ephrata Borough and held on $40,000 bail—an amount advocates say was impossible for him to pay. He was discovered unresponsive in his cell on the morning of March 15 during a routine check. Prison staff attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead shortly after first responders arrived. Authorities have not yet determined his cause of death.
Following the news of Lowery’s passing, Megan Keller, a community liaison for HDR Law Firm and vice president of the Lancaster Bail Fund, voiced her outrage…