By Shawn McGrath
May 09, 2008 11:37 pm
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ELWOOD — A decorated Iraq war veteran is dead after apparently hanging himself while being held in the Elwood City Jail on Friday.
U.S. Army Spc. Timothy K. Israel, 23, was pronounced dead at St. Vincent Mercy Hospital in Elwood at about 2:45 p.m., said Ned Dunnichay, Madison County coroner. An Elwood police officer discovered Israel hanging in a holding cell at about 2:30 p.m., Dunnichay said.
An Elwood police dispatcher said police department officials would not release any information Friday. Elwood Mayor Merrill Taylor did not return a message seeking comment.
Dunnichay said an autopsy will be performed Saturday at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie to determine Israel’s exact cause and manner of death.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Mike Burns said state investigators would be looking into the apparent suicide. He said it was routine for outside investigators to look into a death that occurs while in custody.
Funeral arrangements for Timothy Israel are pending through Dunnichay Funeral Home.
Military service
Israel’s father, Keith Israel, believes his son’s death was the culmination of ongoing police harassment and untreated post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his deployment in Iraq. Timothy didn’t want to get treatment for his PTSD, fearing it would cost him his military career, his father said.
“He was a decorated combat hero,” Keith Israel said. “He’s been constantly harassed since he’s been back.”
Timothy Israel was deployed to Iraq in October 2006, returning in October 2007. His father said he spent much of tour serving in Fallujah, earning the Purple Heart after being wounded by a roadside explosive in 2007. He served as a Humvee turret gunner and as a sniper. He was expecting to redeploy earlier this month with the Green Berets and wanted to return to Iraq, Keith Israel said.
Keith said his son hanged himself with the drawstring from the military pants he was wearing at the time of his arrest. Dunnichay said he could not comment on the method of the alleged suicide until after an autopsy was performed.
Dunnichay said Timothy Israel had been arrested for domestic battery Friday morning but didn’t know any further details, including the location, time or arresting officer. But Timothy’s friends said he had been arrested after a former girlfriend wrongfully accused him of battering her.
Brandon Savage, 22, said Timothy wasn’t a violent person. He said Timothy was trying to break up with the girl, and he was the one who called police because she was being violent. When officers, arrived, however, the girl falsely claimed she was being abused.
“Tim would never do that,” said another friend, Steve Giselbach, 17. “I’ve never seen Tim be violent.”
Charges and protective orders
It wasn’t Israel’s first brush with the law. He was arrested and charged with felony intimidation and theft in November 2003 and June 2003, respectively. The circumstances of the alleged crimes weren’t immediately known late Friday, but prosecutors decided to drop both charges in June 2005.
Israel was arrested again on a felony intimidation charge in April 2008 and was released about a week later. The allegations surrounding that arrest also weren’t immediately known.
Keith Israel said the April intimidation arrest involved Nathan Plue, the son of Elwood police Officer Sherry Wright. Plue falsely claimed Timothy pulled a gun on him, Keith Israel said. Timothy had begun dating Plue’s ex-girlfriend — the same girl he was now trying to break up with — with the dispute occurred, Giselbach said.
In January, Timothy took out a protective order against Plue, and it wasn’t set to expire until 2010, according to court records. Plue’s father, Randy Plue, also took out a protective order against Timothy in January on behalf of a family member, but it wasn’t clear if it was for his son. The order expired, however, when Randy Plue didn’t show up for a court hearing in late January. A published telephone listing for either Plue or Wright could not be located, and neither could be reached for comment.
Wright was suspended two weeks without pay in April and demoted from lieutenant to patrol officer after she broke department policy by releasing a domestic battery suspect, Robert Lamberson, too early from the Elwood City Jail, without having him sign a protective order and without alerting his alleged victim that he had been released. The next day, Lamberson shot and killed his estranged wife, Kristina, before turning the shotgun on himself.
A camera, possible lawsuit
Dunnichay said there was a video surveillance camera that recorded in the holding cell, but inmates could avoid detection if they stood next to the wall where it was mounted.
Keith Israel claimed that no one had been monitoring the cameras aimed at the cell. He said he was considering filing a civil lawsuit against the city and police department for his son’s death.
“We’ll be exploring the possibility,” he said. “(But) what’s the punishment if you’re a cop? Two weeks suspended (from the force) and then you’re back on the job.
“They failed to take the drawstring,” he continued. “They (expletive) up. That’s negligence, and a two-week suspension isn’t going to cut it this time.”
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