In Jacksonville, Florida, the family of Charles Faggart, a cherished local chef and father, is taking legal action against the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Their lawsuit demands the release of public records related to the circumstances surrounding Faggart’s death while he was in custody at the jail.

Faggart’s death occurred on April 10, 2025, just three days after the incident inside the facility. Following this tragic event, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters addressed the media, revealing that nine corrections officers had been relieved of their duties after an inmate suffered what he described as “very bad” injuries.

Subsequent to Faggart’s passing, Sheriff Waters issued a statement confirming that both the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office had launched an investigation to uncover the details of the incident. He assured that further information would be shared once the inquiry reached its conclusion.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office completed its internal investigation by July 7, 2025, and the findings were handed over to federal authorities in September for further review.

JSO completed their investigation on July 7, 2025, and turned the investigation over to federal authorities in September. 

However, on the anniversary of the incident involving those nine JSO corrections officers, the circumstances surrounding his death are still largely unknown. 

Faggart’s family filed the lawsuit just after midnight on April 7, 2026, demanding a hearing be set to determine whether certain records and video evidence surrounding his death should be deemed “public” and therefore JSO be obligated to release them. 

The family, represented by attorney Belkis Plata, claim they still have no answers about what happened while he was in police custody inside Duval County Jail. 

In an attached comprehensive public records request to JSO dated April 14, 2025, Plata demanded the following incident-specific records, among others:

• All incident reports related to Charles Faggart’s death including use-of-force reports, jail surveilance video, 911 calls, and all photos taken of Faggart before, during and after the incident.
• Custody and classification records related to Charles Faggart.
• All medical intake and screening records, sick call slips, medical request forms and logs of all visits by medical staff.
• All recorded jail communications made or received by Charles Faggart. 
• Staff records for the nine now-former JSO corrections officers involved in the incident.
• All training records for staff assigned to the jail at the time of the incident.
• JSO policies and procedures on inmate medical care, use of force, suicide prevention and mental health protocols, and others.

JSO released a heavily redacted incident report along with personnel files, policies and other information and records in response to the records request, but the family claims JSO refused their request for unredacted incident reports and video from inside the jail.

The family issued a letter of intent to sue JSO on March 20, 2026, demanding they release the requested records. They said JSO then told them the April 14 open records request was closed, with no other records releasable due to the case being an active criminal investigation. 

Faggart’s family argues the records should be released to the public, and are calling for a Public Records Act hearing in the lawsuit.

First Coast News reached out to JSO for comment after obtaining a copy of the lawsuit. A JSO spokesperson said the department was unable to comment on pending litigation.

JSO stripped those nine officers of their corrections authority and reassigned them to other duties. As of April 7, 2026, a JSO spokesperson told First Coast News those officers remain “administratively reassigned.”

Faggart was in custody for simple assault and criminal mischief at the time, both misdemeanors.