Inmate claims he was forced to remove tooth with pliers

 

A civil rights lawsuit claims an inmate at the Logan County Detention Center was given a 

 pair pliers to remove a bad, painful tooth after being repeatedly denied dental care

 

In the lawsuit, inmate Mark Traxler, 47, claims a jail employee and a nurse "approached him with a pair of dirty, rusty pliers and a roll of gauze and told him to go back to his unit and have some of the 'fellas' help him with a tooth extraction."
The suit goes on to say Traxler was held down by several inmates, including one known as "Big Jake," but that the extraction caused more pain and more damage to Traxler's teeth.
The lawsuit alleges the extraction occurred in the spring of 2013 and it took weeks for the jail to bring Traxler to a real dentist.
"So he's bleeding profusely, screaming in agony begging for medical treatment. They still won't give it to him," civil rights attorney Davie Lane said. "I don't' think there is any question that this happened. The only real issue in this case is what will a jury do about this?"
A background check reveals Traxler has been arrested numerous times since 2010 for drunk driving, fraud, domestic violence and assault.
Traxler remains at the detention center serving time on misdemeanor charges, according to Lane.
A jail representative said officials haven't seen the lawsuit yet and couldn't offer a comment. The suit also names Health Care Partners Systems, LLC and a nurse, Casey Williams, as defendants.