Otter Tail County jailers left a man 52 hours without food or water, then paid $200K
In February 2024, Otter Tail County Jail staff held Ramsey Kettle, who was in a mental health crisis, in a feces-covered solitary cell for more than 52 hours without food, water or bathroom access, withholding them until he cleaned the cell, according to Prison Legal News and the ACLU of Minnesota. Jailers logged at least 100 checks marking him OK through a window too soiled to see through. The ACLU says the acting jail administrator approved the deprivation. The charges against Kettle were later dropped. After a whistleblower complaint, the state Department of Corrections temporarily suspended the jail's license to hold people longer than 72 hours. In an October 2025 settlement the county agreed to pay Kettle $200,000 and change policies. Staff were retrained and Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons apologized; no firings or charges have been reported.
Staffers were forced to undergo retraining, and Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons issued a public apology.
WCCO has reached out to Otter Tail County for comment.
Our constitutional rights matter most when those entrusted to protect them think no one is watching,
Sheriff Barry Fitzgibbons issued a public apology; staff were retrained.
Issued a public apology.
No outcome recorded yet.