Friday, September 22, 2023

2 years after patient dies with high levels of drugs, family still unable to get answers

Jimmy Johnston spent a year in the hospital under Baker Act and guardianship

In January of 2022, the ABC Action News I-Team reported how Jimmy Johnston was involuntarily committed, placed in guardianship and spent more than a year in Morton Plant Hospital as his family fought to get him out. He died in the hospital, and a toxicology report showed high levels of drugs were in his system when he passed. Since then, I-Team investigator Adam Walser has been following his family’s ongoing search for answers and accountability.

By: Adam Walser

CLEARWATER, Fla. — In January of 2022, the ABC Action News I-Team reported how Jimmy Johnston was involuntarily committed, placed in guardianship and spent more than a year in Morton Plant Hospital as his family fought to get him out.

He died in the hospital, and a toxicology report showed high levels of drugs were in his system when he passed.

Since then, I-Team investigator Adam Walser has been following his family’s ongoing search for answers and accountability.

“You can imagine the sadness here”

“The first thing I did was call Clearwater police,” said Kathleen Johnston, writing with a marker on a poster board.

She documented the many twists and turns in her family’s search for answers about her brother Jimmy Johnston’s death.

“This is just a small sample of the papers and the hoops we’ve been going through to get some justice for Jimmy,” Kathleen said, pointing to files of documents related to contacts she had with local and state governments.


Jimmy, a U.S. Navy veteran who struggled with schizophrenia, died alone after spending a year in Morton Plant Hospital while his family fought in court for his release.

“You can imagine the sadness here of us having to do this,” Kathleen said.

Kathleen’s sister Patty and brother Tommy share in the sadness.

The siblings all live in Indiana and can’t sue the hospital because Jimmy didn’t have a wife or any children.

“That’s not the issue. The issue is, why did they do this to him?” said Tommy.


Full Article & Source:
2 years after patient dies with high levels of drugs, family still unable to get answers

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