A former jail nurse at the Franklin County Detention Center has pleaded guilty to perjury in federal court for lying under oath about medical care she claimed to provide to an inmate who died in custody in 2019.
Sabina Trivette, who worked for Southern Health Partners, admitted she falsely testified during a civil lawsuit that she had performed medical evaluations on 21-year-old Dylan Stratton the day before his death at the Franklin County Detention Center.
Stratton was booked into the jail in January 2019 on drug and wanton endangerment charges. He died alone in his cell less than six days later. The Franklin County Coroner ruled the cause of death was cardiac dysrhythmia, noting obesity and drug use as contributing factors.
Court records show Trivette repeatedly testified under oath that she had measured and accurately recorded Stratton's blood pressure and blood oxygen levels on Jan. 22, 2019. However, she later admitted she knew this testimony was false and that she never entered Stratton's cell or took his vital signs on that date or any other day during his detention.
Stratton's mother, Leslie Glass, filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming jail and medical staff failed to provide life-saving medical attention and that medical records were fabricated. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
In court video from less than 24 hours before Stratton's death, Franklin District Judge Kathy Mangeot asked about his condition during drug withdrawal. When she inquired if it was "a detoxing situation," a deputy confirmed it was and said Stratton had been medically treated.
Trivette is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 4 in federal court in Frankfort. She faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She must also surrender her nursing license and is permanently barred from working as a nurse.
Trivette's attorney did not respond to requests for comment. Southern Health Partners, which contracted with the jail, previously denied allegations in legal filings, saying its employees acted in good faith. The company also did not respond to recent requests for comment.
The case was first reported by LEX 18 INVESTIGATES in 2019.
