Mom wrongly arrested during medical crisis has fatal stroke in custody, TN suit says

A “incoherent” diabetic woman suffering a medical emergency was wrongfully arrested for public intoxication, then she had a fatal stroke in her jail cell, according to a Tennessee lawsuit.

The mother of Katrina Dukes is suing various agencies in Cocke County, saying authorities were negligent to arrest her daughter during a health crisis and failed to give her proper medical attention. Dukes’ mom is also suing on behalf of Dukes’ minor children.

The Newport Police Department told McClatchy News that its policy is to not comment on pending litigation. The Cocke County Sheriff’s Office said it hadn’t been served with the lawsuit as of March 5.

Deadly medical emergency

According to the lawsuit filed Feb. 28 and obtained by WVLT, 40-year-old Dukes was staying at an inn in Newport in February 2024 when she went to the front desk and asked for help, appearing to be confused and not making much sense.

The front desk clerk called 911, and medical personnel brought Dukes to a hospital, where she was treated for diabetes and high blood sugar, the lawsuit says. She also tested negative for a variety of drugs and alcohol, according to the filing.

She was discharged later that evening, but a hospital employee called 911 minutes after to report Dukes was outside the hospital “asking passerby for a number to get a fix” and she “appeared to not know who she was or what was going on,” the complaint reads.

A police officer who knew Dukes arrived and reported Dukes seemed to be high, and she showed him “what is believed to be her discharge paperwork” and “appears to ask for help,” according to the lawsuit.

Her family said Dukes needed medical attention, but she was arrested on a public intoxication charge and transported to the Cocke County Jail in an “unlawful arrest,” the complaint says.

Records show, according to the lawsuit, that someone wrote in a medical intake form at the jail that Dukes appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Jail personnel documented that shortly before 8:30 p.m., her blood sugar level was 360, the complaint says. According to the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center, a blood sugar reading of 300 mg/dL “can be dangerous.”

Not long after that blood sugar reading, corrections officers reported Dukes was “nodding in and out and talking out of her head” and they decided to give her a dose of Narcan, an overdose reversal drug, which she resisted, according to the lawsuit.

Then a deputy noted Dukes was supposed to be monitored overnight, the complaint says.

The next morning, records show Dukes seemed normal at breakfast, but her condition deteriorated throughout the day until shortly before 5 p.m., when another inmate told staff that Dukes was lying on the floor of her cell, according to the lawsuit.

Staff called 911 and proceeded to give Dukes three more doses of Narcan while waiting for emergency responders, the filing says.

She regained consciousness at a hospital but couldn’t move one side of her body, and a CT scan showed she had experienced a stroke, the lawsuit says.

She died at another hospital a few days after the stroke.

Lawsuit filed a year later

The lawsuit accuses the various agencies of violating Dukes’ constitutional rights in failing to provide adequate treatment leading up to her death.

The lawsuit says Dukes needed emergency medical care at the time of her arrest, but she was denied it.

“No treatment, hospitalization, medication, medical care or infirmary care were provided,” the complaint reads. “Rather (Dukes) was denied proper medical care, improperly and repeatedly given Narcan despite demonstrating signs of a stroke and other medical conditions.”

The lawsuit also accuses the agencies of a making a false arrest and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Dukes’ obituary describes her as a “loving and caring mother” of two who liked to craft.

Cocke County is in eastern Tennessee on the border with North Carolina.

This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Mom wrongly arrested during medical crisis has fatal stroke in custody, TN suit says."