Jackson Could Face Lawsuit For Drowning Incident

A city attorney says Jackson may soon face a lawsuit from the family of a teenager who drowned in a city pool.

On June 5th, 17-year-old Rubin Ledbetter drowned at the Russel C. Davis Pool on Martin Luther King Drive. Lifeguards and paramedics performed C.P.R., but Ledbetter was pronounced dead at U.M.C.

"There has been a notice of a claim submitted to the city, indicating that the family intends to file some litigation when the statutory time expires," said Peter Teeuwissen, special assistant to the city attorney.

Teeuwissen discouraged the council from discussing a pool safety ordinance in open session because of possible litigation. Instead, they will discuss pool safety in executive session.

Councilman Kenneth Stokes is urging city leaders to pass an ordinance that would place a park ranger of police officer at every city pool. He says this would allow lifeguards to focus on watching children.

"Some of these pools are out of control," said Stokes. "If you're not going to get them under control, then the city's going to pay in the long run because we're gonna keep getting sued."

News Channel 12 asked Jackson's Police Chief Tyrone Lewis about the proposal, but he wouldn't comment. He says he needs more time to discuss it with Councilman Stokes.

The council also discussed several other key issues during Tuesday's council meeting. In a 3-2 vote, the council approved paying late Mayor Frank Melton's legal fees from his federal trial. The council agreed to pay attorney John Reeves $37,500 for representing the mayor after his federal indictment.

According to a city attorney, Reeves adjusted that number after originally requesting more than $100,000. The first trial ended in a mistrial and the mayor died before the second trial.

The city council also settled with the homeowner of the house that Melton was accused of damaging. The council agreed to pay Jennifer Sutton the assessed value of her property. Melton was accused of ordering a group of teens with sledgehammers to tear down the home she owned on Ridgeway Street.

Councilman also voted to continue funding JATRAN through the rest of the fiscal year. City Administrator Rick Hill says the city was able to reallocate the budget and use $300,000 in grant money to help with the deficit. He says Jackson experienced a reduction in medical claims, which amounted to $888,000. That money will be allocated to the JATRAN budget.

The council also authorized Professional Transit Management to take over operation of the city's public transit system.