Two detainees at an Horry County jail died within months of each other. Now, their families are suing the jail and the medical company that provides its health services in their deaths.
Joseph Brian Watts Jr. was 35 when he was arrested and booked into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Conway on July 10, 2024, to await trial. Kelly Nicole James, 44, was booked into the jail on April 18, 2024, on charges that involved drugs, specifically crack/cocaine, fentanyl and meth, a lawsuit said.
Both lawsuits claim wrongful death and medical malpractice and name Horry County, Horry County Sheriff’s Office and Mediko. The lawsuit for James also named the detention center and Dr. Steve Garman, who was the medical director for the jail and an employee of Mediko…