Inmate Suit is Pending Over Water Crisis

A lawsuit claims some West Virginia inmates were so desperate for water they tried to drink from toilets during the 2014 water crisis. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the suit was filed on behalf of inmates at South Central Regional Jail between Jan. 9-14, 2014. The West Virginia Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in federal court in Charleston. The suit claims the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority handled the water crisis poorly. The state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety has defended allegations about how inmates were treated.