Jury finds Adams County was not deliberately indifferent in inmate death

After about two hours of deliberation on Thursday morning, a federal jury rejected claims that Adams County jail deputies were "deliberately indifferent" to the medical needs of an elderly inmate, who subsequently died in the jail in 2016.

The family of Marciano Briones had filed a civil lawsuit over the 2016 death of the 84-year-old man, who had been jailed for a DUI conviction.

An autopsy later concluded that Briones died of sepsis following a gallbladder infection.

The federal trial began Tuesday and jurors heard from an inmate who said he complained repeatedly to deputies about Briones deteriorating condition. But jurors were also shown jail videotapes that seemed to contradict some of what the inmate had said.

Heidi Miller, Adams County's attorney, declined to comment on the jury verdict.

"We have to consider the legal issues involved and contemplate options," said David Lane, an attorney representing the Briones family, mentioning a potential appeal. 

According to an earlier legal filing in the case, Adams County found that one of its deputies had violated policy in the Briones case.