No criminal charges in 2 St. Louis County jail deaths

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) - No charges will be filed in the deaths of two men at the St. Louis County jail.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said Thursday an investigation found no evidence to support charges in the deaths of 29-year-old John Shy on Feb. 23 and 20-year-old Lamar Catching on March 1.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the deaths prompted several inquiries and organizational changes at the jail.

Bell said the investigations uncovered troubling systemic breakdowns in the jail. The problems included nurses in both cases not performing basic functions to treat patients. and the easy availability of drugs at the jail.

Bell said he is working on recommendations to improve operations at the jail.

___

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com