In a statement released Tuesday morning by Blountstown Police Chief Mark Mallory, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle has dismissed all civil lawsuits pending against the City of Blountstown Police Department and all involved oficers stemming from the death of Barbara Dawson at the Calhoun-Liberty Hospital on December 21, 2015.
The Judge issued his dismissal on Monday, July 10, 2017.
According to the statement, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Blountstown Police Department previously completed investigations into this matter and the 14th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office cleared the actions of the police officer, John Tadlock, in the case on May 16, 2016.
Dawson, after being treated in the emergency room, had been released by hospital staff but she refused to leave telling nurses she was having difficulty breathing. The hospital staff eventually contacted the Blountstown Police Department and Officer Tadlock arrived on the scene and tried to reason with Dawson. She still refused to leave and was eventually forcibly removed.
In the parking lot, Dawson collapsed and was readmitted by a doctor. She passed away a short time later from what was later revealed to be a pulmonary embolism.
The hospital would eventually face fines and disciplinary action after an inspection by the Agency for Health Care Administration required a plan of action from the hospital.
In July of 2016, Dawson’s family filed a federal lawsuit against Calhoun-Liberty Hospital, two hospital employees, the City of Blountstown, and a former Blountstown police officer. The four count lawsuit cited false imprisonment, failure to provide emergency care, battery and civil rights violations.
